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THE 


UNION    INDIAN    BRIGADE 


IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR 


BY 

WILEY  BRITTON 


Author  of  "The  Civil  War  on  the  Border,"  two  volumes;     "A  Study 
of  the  Trades  Union  System;"      "The  Aftermath  of  the  Civil 
War."     Life  Member  of  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science;     Thirty  Years  Special  Serv 
ice  War  and  Interior  Departments,  Washington 


1922 

FRANKLIN  HUDSON  PUBLISHING  CO. 
KANSAS  CITY.  MISSOURI 


COPYRIGHT,  1922 
BY  WILEY  BRITTON 


The  following  Universities,  Colleges,  Libraries,  Educa 
tional  Institutions  and  prominent  men  have  taken  *The 
Union  Indian  l>i'l<lade"  "The  Fire  Civilized  In- 
(Man  Nations  in  the  Civil  War"  and  ''The  CirU 
War  on  the  Border":— 


Arizona  State  University 

Altoona,  Pa  ,     Mechanics 

Library 
Atlantic   City,    N.  J.    Free 

Library 

Berea  College,    Berea,  Ky. 
Bolivar,  Mo.,  Public  Libra 

ry 
Boston,  Mass  ,   Atheneum 

California  State  Library 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  Public- 
Library 

Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  State 
Teachers  College 

Chicago  Public  Library 
Connecticut  State  Library. 

Detroit,  Mich.,  Public  Li 
brary 

Engineer  School  of  the 
Army,  Fort  Humphrey, 
Va. 

Emporia,  Kan.,  State  Nor 
mal  School 

Fresno  County  Calif.  Free 
Libra  ry 

Grand  Rapids  Mich.  Pub 
Library. 


Army  Service  School,  Ft. 
Leavenworth 

Army  War  College,  Wash 
ington  D.  C. 

Arkansas  State  University 

Boston,  Mass.,  Public 
Library. 

Braddock,  Pa.,  Carnegie 
Public  Library. 

Buffalo  New  York  Public 
Library. 

Cincinnati  Ohio  Public 
Library. 

Colorado  State  University. 

Columbus  Ohio  Public 
Library. 

Columbia,  N.  Y..  Uni 
versity 

El  Paso,  Texas  Public  Lib 
rary. 

Emporia,  Kan  ,  Public 
Library. 

Evanston,    111.,    Historica 
Society. 

Enoch  Pratt  Library,  Bal 
timore,  Md. 

Fall  River,  Mass.,  Public 
Library 

Galesburg,  111.,  Public  Li 
brary 


Grand  Island,  Neb.,  Pub 
lic  Library 

Haverhill,  Mass.,  Public 
Library 

Hiawatha,  Kan.  Public  Li 
brary 

Hoboken,  N.  J.,  Free  Pub 
lic  Library. 

infantry  School  U.  S.  Ft. 
Benning,  Georgia. 

junction  City,  Kan.,    Geo. 

Smith  Public  Library 
Kansas  State  University- 
Kansas    City,  Kan,,    Uni 
versity, 

Kansas  State  Prison  Li 
brary. 

Kentucky   State  Historical 

Society,   , 
Kentucky  State  University 

Lawrence,  Kan.,  Free  Pub 

lie  Library 

Louisiana  State  University 
Los  Angeles  County  Calif. 

Free  Library. 

Milliken,  James,  University 
111. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Pub 
lic  Library 

Missouri  Historical  Society 
St.  Louis. 

Missouri  State  University. 

Massachusetts  State  Lib'ry 


Grosvener  Library,  Buff- 
alo,  N.  Y. 

Harvard,  Mass.,  Univer 
sity 

Haskell  Institute,  Indian. 
School,  Lawrence,  Kan 

Illinois  State  Historical  Li 
brary 

Illinois  State  University 
Indiana  State   Library, 

Jersey    City,    N,    ).,    Free 

Public  Library. 
Kansas  City  Missouri  Pub 

lie  Library 

Kansas  City  Kansas  Pub 
lic  Library 

Kansas  State  Historical  So 
ciety 

Kansas  State    Library 

Los  Angeles  California 
Public  Library. 

Louisville  Ky.,  Public  Li 
brary 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  Cossitt 
Library 

Missouri   State    Historical 

Society. 
Monterey     County    Calif., 

Free  Library 
Michigan  State  Library 

Muskogee      Okla.,  Public 
Library. 


Nashville,    Term.,    Carne 
gie  Public  Library 

Newberry    I  ,ibr&ry,     Chi 
cago. 

New     Brunswick,     N.     J., 
Free  Public  Library 

Ohio  State  University 
Olathe,     Kan.    Public    Li 
brary 

OklahomaCity,  Okla.  Car 
negie  Public   Library 

Paola,    Kan.,     Public    Li 
brary 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Library 
Company 

Patterson,   N    J.  Free      Public- 
Library. 

Pittsburg.    Pa..   Carnegie    .Li 
brary. 

Reorganized  Church   of   Jesus 
Christ.  Latter  Day  Saints. 

Salt   Lake   City,   Utah,   Public 
Library 

Springfield  Mo.  Public   Libra 
ry 

Seattle.   Wash..  Public    Libra 
ry- 
Sioux     City,  Iowa,    Public  Li 
brary. 

Simmons      College.       Abilene 
Texas 

St.   Louis  Mo.  Public  Library. 

Topeka,  Kan.,  Public  Library 

Trinidad,  Colo.,  Public  Libra 
ry- 


Nevada  State  Library. 

North  Carolina  State  Uni 
versity' 

Nebraska  State  University 
New  York  Public  Library 
Oklahoma  State  University 

Oklahoma  State  Historical 
Society. 

Oregon  State   Library. 

Ohio  State  Archaeological 
&  Historical  Society  Co 
lumbus 

Pittsburg  Kan.  Public  Li 
brary. 

Pittsburg  Pa.  Allegheney 
Carnegie  Free  Library. 

Princeton.  N.    J.,    University. 

Providence,  R  I,, Public  Libra 
ry. 

Rosenberg  Library.  Galveston 
Texas. 

Rice  Institute.  Houston,    Tex. 

St.  Louis,  Mo.  Mercantile  Li 
brary. 

Smithsonian  Institution  Wash. 
D.  C. 

Somerville  Mass.  Public  Li 
brary. 

Syracuse    N.  Y.  Public  Libra 
ry 
Taunton  Mass,  Public  Library. 

Texas  State  University. 
Terre  Haute  Ind.    State  Nor 
mal  School. 


Utah  State  University. 

Vanderbilt   University.  Nash 
ville  Tenn. 

Vermont  State  Library. 

Worcester  Mass.    Free  Public 
Library. 

Wyoming  State  Library. 

Washington   (George)   Univer 
sity,  Washington  D.  C. 

Washington  University.  St.  It. 

Western    Reserve.     Historical 
Society.  Cleveland.  Ohio. 

Yale  University,    New  Haven, 
Conneticut. 


U.  S.  Soldiers'    Home.  Wash 
ington  D.  C. 

Virginia  State  Library. 

Virginia  State  University. 

Wells  College,  Aurora  N.  Y. 

Wvoming  Historical  Society. 
Wilkes  Bar  re.  Pa. 

Wellsley  Mass.  College. 

Wichita    (Kansas)    Public   Li 
brary. 

West  Virginia,  Dept.  Archives 
and  History. 

Wisconsin  State     Historical 
Society. 


Prominent  .Men    Tn A'7/to'  The   Work: 


Bains,  William  G.  Philadelphia 

Bishop.     Morris  A.     Ossawat- 
omie,  Kansas 

Cambon,    William.     McAlester 
Oklahoma. 

Ennght.     Hon.    E.    A.    County 
Attorney.  Kansas  City  Kan. 

Kraft.  E.Stanley.  Strait   Scale 
Company. 

Merrill,  C.  W.,  Macon,  Ga. 
Morley.  G.  V.   Clyde  Kansas. 

Shattuck     A.    H.    Pleasanton. 
Kansas. 


Sims,     Hon.  John    T. 
City.  Kansas. 


VanFussen.  Col.  John.  Leaven 
worth.  Khtsas. 


Blanton,  Col.  VV.  F.,Shawnee, 
Kansas. 

Brown.  James  B,  Boa^-d  of  Ed 
ucation.  K.  C.  Mo. 

Dunnegan,  T.  H.  B.,  Bolivar, 
Missouri. 

Guyer.  Judge  U.  S..  Kansas 
City.  Kansas. 

McCaroll.  G.  C.  M  R.  Smith 
Lumber  Co..  K  C.,  Kan. 

Pike,  Hon.  Charles  B..  Chica 
go. 

Perry  H.  J.  Motor  Co.,  Kan 
sas  City,  Kansas. 

Strait.  H.  N.  Mfg  Company 
Kansas  City.  Kansas. 

Wanamaker.  Hon.  John.  Phil 
adelphia.  Pa. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


.  CHAPTER  I. 

SOUTHERN  PROPAGANDA  TO  WIN  OVER  THE  CIVILIZED 
INDIAN  TRIBES. 

Talk  of  war  in  Texas — The  writer  passes  through  the  Choctaw  Nation 
and  Western  Arkansas — Impending  war  the  only  topic — The  South  to  win 
over  the  Indians — Choctaws  easily  won  over — Opposition  among  the  Chero- 
kees — Choctaw  Council  declares  in  favor  of  the  South — Organization  of  the 
Confederate  Government — Commences  seizing  arsenals  and  arms  in  Southern 
States — Evacuation  of  Fort  Smith  and  forts  in  Indian  Territory — Governors 
of  Missouri  and  Arkansas  refuse  to  furnish  quota  of  troops — General  Ben 
McCulloch  assigned  to  command  of  Southern  forces  in  Indian  Territory — 
Albert  Pilke  to  ass  st  in  organizing  Indian  forces — His  influence  among  the 
Indians — Southern  emissaries  to  Indian  chiefs — Chief  John  Ross  refuses  to 
join  the  South — Defeats  of  Union  armies  bring  him  over  to  the  Southern 
cause — General  mass  meeting 1 5-29 

CHAPTER  II. 

SOUTHERN  FORCES  ATTACK  HOPOEITHLEYOHOLA. 
Union  cause  suffers  in  Missouri — Reflected  among  the  Indians — Or 
ganization  of  Indian  forces  for  Confederate  service — Surrender  of  Little 
Rock  Arsenal — Hopoeithleyohola  communicateswith  U.  S.  Commissioner  -Pre 
paring  for  the  struggle — Blunders  and  indecision  in  Missouri  of  Union  com 
manders — Their  effects  on  the  Indians — Southern  forces  attack  Hopoeith 
leyohola — He  is  finally  defeated  and  retires  to  Kansas 30-44 

CHAPTER  III. 
SOUTHERN  INDIANS  TAKE  PART  IN  BATTLE  OF  PEA  RIDGE. 

Hopoeithleyohola's  followers  lost  everything  in  the  last  battle — Their 
terrible  sufferings  on  retreat  to  Kansas — Cared  for  by  the  Government  in 
Southern  Kansas — General  Hall  ck  relieves  General  Fremont — Preparing 
for  aggressive  operations  under  General  Curtis — Bickerings  between  Gen 
erals  Lane  and  Hunter — Reorganization  of  Kansas  troops — Concentration 
of  troops  at  Fort  Scott — Army  of  the  Southwest  under  Curtis  attacks  Price 
at  Springfield — Drives  Southern  forces  out  of  the  State — Both  sides  prepare 
for  decisive  battle — The  battle  of  Pea  Ridge — Southern  armies  overwhelm 
ingly  defeated  and  driven  from  the  field — General  Pike's  Choctaw  Indian 
Brigade  participated  in  the  battle 4S~S7 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  INDIAN  EXPEDITION. 

Army  of  Van  Dorn  and  Price  ordered  east  of  the  Mississippi  River — 
Returning  secessionists  cause  trouble  in  Missouri — Organization  of  Union 
Militia — The  Indian  Expedition — Organization  of  Federal  forces  for  action 
tt  Locust  Grove — Capture  of  Colonel  Clarkson's  Confederate  force — 
The  expedition  moves  to  Flat  Rock — Return  of  the  Indian  Expedition 
to  Baxter  Springs — Brings  out  Chief  John  Ross  and  the  archives  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation— Organization  of  three  Indian  regiments — Return  of  large 
Confederate  forces  to  Missouri  through  Arkansas — This  exposed  the  left 
.flank  of  the  Indian  Expedition — Troops  of  the  Indian  Expedition  under 


4  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

General  Blunt  to  Lone  Jack — Pursuit  of  Confederates  from  Lone  Jack  to 
Southwest  Missouri $8-79 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  NEWTONIA  CAMPAIGN. 

Organization  of  the  First  Union  Brigade — Held  northern  part  of  Indian 
country — Hardships  of  loyal  Indian  families — Many  refugees— First  Di 
vision,  Army  of  the  Frontier — General  Blunt  commanding — Resting  and  re 
fitting  for  movement  to  Southwest  Missouri — Confederate  forces  reorganize 
and  advance  north  into  Southwest  Missouri — Maneuvering  for  positions — 
Federal  reconnaissance  repulsed  at  Newtonia — Action  at  Shirley's  Ford — 
Action  at  Newtonia  and  rout  of  Confederate  forces 80-99 

CHAPTER  VI. 
FORT  WAYNE  AND  CANE  HILL  CAMPAIGN. 

Pursuit  of  Confederate  forces  from  Newtonia — On  Pea  Ridge  battle 
field — General  Schofield  attacks  and  routs  Confederate  forces  near  Hunts- 
ville — General  Blunt  attacks  and  routs  Southern  Indian  forces  under  Cooper 
at  Old  Fort  Wayne — Captures  all  his  artillery — Confederate  forces  pushed 
south  of  the  Boston  Mountains — General  Hindman  concentrates  Confed 
erate  forces  at  Van  Buren  and  Fort  Smith — Sends  Marmaduke  north  of  the 
mountains  to  Rhea's  Mills — General  Blunt  advances — Attacks  and  routs 
Confederates  at  Cane  Hill — Death  of  Colonel  Jewell 100-117 

CHAPTER  VII. 
BATTLE  OF  PRAIRIE  GROVE. 

The  impending  struggle — General  Blunt  finds  General  Hindman  ad 
vancing  north — Telegraphs  General  Curtis  to  order  forward  the  Second  and 
Third  Divisions  to  reinforce  him — The  divisions  make  a  record  march — 
They  arrive  just  in  time — Hindman  turns  Blunt's  left  flank  and  attacks 
General  Herron 118-134 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

BATTLE  OF  PRAIRIE  GROVE— Concluded. 

Herron  pushes  back  Confederate  forces  and  opens  the  battle — Terrific 
artillery  firing — Charges  and  counter-charges  of  infantry — Heavy  losses  in 
killed  and  wounded — General  Blunt  arrives  on  the  field  on  the  Federal  right 
— Opens  with  all  his  guns  on  the  Confederate  left — Arrival  of  his  infantry — 
The  struggle  in  the  woods — Darkness  ends  the  battle — Confederates  retreat 
during  the  night  to  Van  Buren 135-15* 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  VAN  BUREN  EXPEDITION. 
Preparations  for  the  expedition — Eight  thousand  picked  men  and  thirty 

fieces  of  artillery — Crossing  Cove  Creek  thirty-nine  times — Water  ice-cold — 
nfantry  wade  the  creek— Strike  Confederate  pickets — Federal  cavalry  chase 
them — Capture  Confederate  camp — Pursuit  of  flying  foe  to  Van  Buren — 
Capture  steamboats  and  ferry — Cargoes  were  for  Confederate  array—Boats 
held  to  cross  the  Federal  forces  over  the  river — Shell  Hindmtn'a  ctmp  across 
the  river — Retreat  of  .Southern  forces — Burning  of  the  steamboats — Return 
of  the  army  to  Rhea's  Mills  and  Prairie  Grove — Success  of  Colonel  Phillips' 
Indian  column — He  destroys  Fort  Davis 153-165 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  5 

CHAPTER  X 

THE  UNION  INDIAN  BRIGADE. 

General  Schofield  resumes  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier — New 
dispositions  of  the  Federal  forces — General  Blunt  returns  to  Kansas — Fed 
eral  army  retires  to  Fayetteville — Elm  Springs — In  new  dispositions  Colonel 
Phillips  assigned  to  command  of  the  Indian  Brigade — Takes  up  position  at 
Maysville — Operations  against  Southern  Partisan  bands — General  Marma- 
duke's  attack  on  Springfield — Is  repulsed 166-183 

CHAPTER  XI. 

OPERATIONS  OF  THE  UNION  INDIAN  BRIGADE. 
Operations  of  Colonel  Harrison  at  Fayetteville — General  Cabell  as 
signed  to  command  of  Confederate  forces  in  Western  Arkansas  —  General 
Steele  commands  Confederate  forces  in  Indian  Territory — They  commence 
to  show  activity — The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  Southwest  Missouri — In 
Northwest  Arkansas — At  Bentonville — Smallpox  among  Indian  soldiers — 
Indian  soldiers  in  war  paint — Mass  meeting  at  Fayetteville  —  Addressed  by 
Colonel  Phillips — Co-operation  of  the  forces  of  Colonels  Phillips  and  Harri 
son — Session  of  Cherokee  Council — Delegates  to  Washington  —  The  Indian 
Brigade  marches  to  Big  Spring — Unionists  from  Texas — Reconnoissance  to 
Parkhill  and  Fort  Gibson  184-203 

CHAPTER  XII. 

UNION  INDIAN  BRIGADE  CAPTURES  FORT  GIBSON. 
Union  Indian  Brigade  at  Parkhill — Arrival  of  refugee  Indian  families 
from  Neosho — Occupation  of  Fort  Gibson — Description  of  the  place — Rais 
ing  the  Stars  and  Stripes — Celebration — Address  of  Colonel  Phillips — Also 
prominent  Cherokees — Serious  accident  in  firing  salute — Arrival  of  supply 
train — Defending  the  supply  line — Creeks  and  Seminoles  coming  in — Fort  - 
fying  Fort  Gibson — Confederate  General  Cabell's  attack  on  Fayetteville  re 
pulsed — Death  of  Dr.  Gilpatrick  in  action  at  Webber's  Falls — Colonel  Watie 
speaks 204-225 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

KEEPING  THE  BREAD-LINE  OPEN. 

Review  of  the  Indian  Brigade — Address  of  Colonel  Phillips — Hcket- 
firing  over  the  Arkansas  River — Confederates  prepare  to  attack  and  cap 
ture  the  supply  train — Attack  the  train  nearing  the  fort  and  are  repulsed — 
Confederates  capture  part  of  a  herd  while  grazing  near  the  fort — General 
Cooper  holds  a  council  of  war  with  principal  officers — Addresses  the  council 
in  regard  to  future  operations — Confederates  make  another  attack  on  the 
supply  train  and  are  defeated — They  capture  a  colored  man  of  the  Indian 
Brigade — He  escapes  and  returns — They  quiz  him  on  many  subjects. 226-244 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  ACTION  AT  CABIN  CREEK. 

Holding  Fort  Gibson  under  difficulties — Colonel  Phillips  and  General 
Cooper — Reinforcements  waiting  on  results  of  operations  against  Vicks- 
burg — Cooper  prepares  to  attack  the  supply  train — Troops  sent  to  reinforce 
the  escort — Indians  harvesting  their  wheat  crop — Confederates  also  had 
trouble  in  getting  their  supplies  by  ox-team  trains — Post  Commander  feeds 
a  large  number  of  refugee  Indians — Escort  to  train  reinforced — Confederate 
force  of  Indians  and  Texans  arrive  at  Cabin  Creek  and  fortify — Arrival  of 


6  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War, 

train  and  escort  at  Cabin  Creek — The  fight  opens — Delayed  until  the  next 
morning  by  high  water — Federal  forces  cross  the  creek  under  fire  and  rout 

the  Confederates — Gallant  conduct  of  the  Colored  Regiment 245-266 

CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  BATTLE  OF  ELK  CREEK. 

Federal  forces  at  Fort  Gibson  pass  from  defensive  to  offensive  opera 
tions — Arrival  of  General  Blunt  with  reinforcements — -Assumes  command — 
Given  a  reception — In  his  address  he  tells  the  soldiers  and  people  of  good 
news  from  the  East — Of  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg — Of  the  defeat  of  the 
Confederate  Army  at  Gettysburg — States  his  determination  to  cross  the 
Arkansas  River  and  attack  Cooper — General  Cooper  hears  of  Blunt's  ar 
rival  with  reinforcements — Sends  a  message  to  General  Cabell  to  come  to 
his  assistance — General  Blunt  crosses  the  Arkansas  and  advances  to  attack 
the  enemy  at  Elk  Creek — Organization  of  belligerent  forces — Battle  com 
mences  after  heavy  shower  of  rain — Confederates  routed  and  driven  from 
the  field — Heavy  loss  in  killed  and  wounded — Also  lose  all  their  suppl  es 
and  part  of  camp  equipage  and  one  gun — Handcuffs  found — Incidents  of 

the  battle 267-285 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
FEDERAL  OCCUPATION  OF  FORT  SMITH. 

General  Blunt  receives  reinforcements — He  advances  again  and  drives 
the  Confederates  from  Northfork,  Perryville,  and  Boggy  Depot — Destroys 
their  supplies  at  those  places — Returns  with  part  of  his  forces  and  attacks 
Cabell  holding  Fort  Smith — After  some  skirmishing,  Cabell  retires  south — 
Is  pursued  by  Federal  cavalry — General  Blunt  then  occupies  Fort  Smith — 
Action  at  Backbone  Mountain — Cabell's  troops  desert  by  companies — Colo 
nel  Cloud's  expedition  to  Little  Rock — The  place  had  been  captured  by 
General  Steele 286-303 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  BAXTER  SPRINGS  MASSACRE. 

General  Blunt  returns  to  Kansas  to  move  his  headquarters  to  Fort 
Smith — The  Shelby  raid  in  Missouri  was  then  in  progress — General  Ewing's 
Order  Number  Eleven — The  Lawrence  Massacre — Lane's  invasion  of  Mis 
souri — Topics  of  conversation — After  a  few  days  at  Fort  Scott,  General 
Blunt  leaves  with  escort  for  Fort  Smith — Is  attacked  at  Baxter  Springs  by 
combined  guer  ilia  forces  of  Quantrill — In  the  fight  the  Federal  line  is  broken 
— The  massacre  then  commenced — Most  of  the  wounded  shot  to  death. 

304-3  2 1 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  SHELBY  RAID— OPERATIONS  IN  THE  INDIAN  TERRITORY. 
Shelby's  Raid  in  Missouri — Having  artillery,  he  quickly  reduces  forti" 
fied  positions  of  Union  Militia — Not  knowing  his  objective,  difficult  to 
concentrate  against  him — Action  at  Marshall — In  retreat,  he  loses  his  last 
piece  of  artillery — Took  out  a  few  recruits — They  were  Southern  Partisan 
bands — Confederate  General  Steele's  demonstration  against  Fort  Smith — 
It  failed  to  accomplish  anything — Federal  outpost  at  Waldron — Colon-el" Wa- 
tie's  raid  north  of  Arkansas  River — !s  attacked  by  a  detachment  of  the  Indian 
Brigade — Defeated  and  retires  south  of  the  Arkansas — General  Blunt  relieved 
of  his  command — Conference  of  Southern  Indian  leaders — They  discuss  the 
gloomy  situation 3 22-340 


Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

CHAPTI*  XIX. 

THE  CAMDEN  EXPEDITION. 

End  of  the  war  in  sight — Southern  forces  swept  nearly  to  the  Red  River 
— General  Maxey  assigned  to  command  of  Southern  forces  in  the  Indian 
country — The  Red  River  Expedition — Generals  Banks  and  Steele  to  concen 
trate  on  Shreveport — The  Frontier  Division  from  Fort  Smith — Joins  Steele 
at  the  Little  Missouri  River — Fighting  at  Prairie  De'  Ann  and  Moscow — 
General  Banks  defeated  and  retires  on  Alexandria — Generals  Smith  and 
Price  concentrate  against  General  Steele — He  retires  from  Camden  to  Little 
Rock — Confederate  forces  pursue  him  to  Saline  River — Battle  of  Jenkins' 
Ferry — Smith  and  Price  repulsed — Confederate  forces  on  the  offensive — 
Federal  forces  on  the  defensive 34l~358 

CHAPTER  XX. 

BATTLE  OF  POISON  SPRING. 

Arrival  of  Federal  Army  at  Camden — Forage  train  sent  out  with  es 
cort — Attacked  by  General  Maxey — Escort  overwhelmed  by  superior  forces 
— Federal  train  and  artillery  captured — Escort  sustains  heavy  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded — Colored  wounded  soldiers  killed  by  Confederates. .  .359-373 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
OPERATIONS  OF  THE  INDIAN  BRIGADE. 

The  Frontier  Division  returns  to  Fort  Smith — Complaints  about  Kansas 
political  generals  commanding  Western  Missouri — Colonel  Phillips'  admin 
istration  of  affairs  in  Indian  Territory — Efforts  of  politicians  to  cripple  his 
usefulness — The  Indian  soldiers  to  be  mounted — Bandit  operations — Quan- 
trill  and  his  men  a  terror  to  people  of  Northern  Texas — His  death  in  Ken 
tucky — Navigation  of  the  Arkansas  River — Transports  with  supplies 

374-392 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

CONFEDERATES  CAPTURE  STEAMER  WITH  SUPPLIES. 

Connection  of  West  with  East  Mississippi  operations — The  homing  in 
stinct  of  Confederate  soldiers — Confederates  exaggerate  Union  disasters — 
Colonel  Watie  captures  the  steamer  J.  R.  Williams — Minor  operations  in  W  t 
Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory — Little  aggressiveness  of  the  Federal  com 
mander 393-4*2 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ATROCIOUS  ACTS  OF  SOUTHERN  BANDITS— ACTION  AT  ROSE- 
VILLE— STONE'S  FARM— MASSARD  PRAIRIE— CONFED 
ERATES  DEMONSTRATE  AGAINST  FORT  SMITH. 
Fiendish  acts  of  Southern  Partisan  bands — Murder  and  mutilate  Fed 
eral  soldiers — Four  bandits  captured,  tried,  convicted,  and  executed — Ac 
tion  at  Roseville — Action  at  Massard  Prairie — Capture  of  Major  Mefford 
and  his  command — Confederates  demonstrate  heavily  against  Fort  Smith — 
Driven  off    by    Federal   forces 413-429 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

CONFEDERATES  CAPTURE  SUPPLY  TRAIN. 
Colonel  Phillips  relieved  of  command  of  the  Indian  Brigade — His  ad 
ministration  honest  and  efficient — Removal  the  result  of  political  schem 
ing — Severe  on  cattle  thieves — Price's  Missouri  Expedition  taking    definite 


8  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

form — Shelby's  Brigade  north  of  the  Arkansas  River — Generals  Maxey 
and  Cooper  prepare  for  co-operative  movement — Send  large  mounted  force 
and  artillery  north  of  the  Arkansas  River — Attack  a  hay  camp  at  Flat  Rock 
— Attack  and  capture  Federal  supply  train  at  Cabin  Creek — Colonel  Wil 
liams  attacks  General  Gano 430-446 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
GENERAL    PRICE'S    MISSOURI   EXPEDITION. 

Swept  everything  before  him  at  first — Federal  concentration  against 
him — Turned  west  at  St.  Louis — Turned  south  at  Kansas  City — Engage 
ments  at  Pilot  Knob,  Jefferson  City,  Lexington,  Independence,  Westport, 
Mine  Creek,  Newtonia — Demoralized  retreat  after  Westport — Loss  of  ar 
tillery  and  Generals  Marmaduke  and  Cabell  captured — Confederate  army 
passes  through  Indian  country  starving  and  freezing — Arrives  in  Texas — 
Colonel  Phillips  restored  to  command  of  the  Indian  Brigade — Cleans  Vouse — 
Corrects  abuses  and  corrupt  practices — Fight  against  stealing  Indian  cat 
tle — Weak  policy  of  the  Federal  commander  at  Fort  Smith — Evacuation 
of  the  post  ordered — Order  countermanded  by  the  President 447-462 


PREFACE 

It  has  seemed  to  me  that  a  History,  a  Monograph,  of 
the  operations  of  the  Civilized  Indian  Tribes  of  our  bor 
ders  in  the  great  struggle  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Union  should  be  left  as  a  monument  of  their  heroism  and 
devotion  by  some  one  who  participated  with  them  in  that 
struggle  and  saw  their  sufferings  and  trials  for  the  cause 
they  espoused. 

Their  descendants  who  have  grown  up  since  the  war, 
with  all  the  advantages  that  have  come  to  them  in  the 
unprecedented  development  of  their  country,  will  un 
doubtedly  feel  an  interest  in  the  achievements  of  their 
fathers,  and  wish  to  preserve  a  record  of  those  achieve 
ments  to  hand  down  to  posterity.  The  operations  of  both 
sides  have  been  given  and  described  without  prejudice  as 
if  the  writer  was  a  disinterested  spectator  taking  down 
and  recording  everything  of  historic  interest  that  came 
within  his  knowledge. 

Larger  and  distant  operations  in  other  parts  of  the 
country  have  been  referred  to  only  in  connection  with  their 
bearing  on  operations  in  the  Indian  country,  such  as  tak 
ing  the  troops  from  the  department  in  which  the  Indian 
Territory  was  embraced,  to  reinforce  the  troops  or  armies 
of  another  department  in  important  campaigns. 

The  fact  is  noted  that  when  the  Indian  soldiers  were 
taken  out  of  their  country  and  co-operating  with  the  white 
troops  in  operations  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  that  they 
abstained  more  scrupulously  from  depredations  upon  pri 
vate  property  than  the  white  soldiers  with  whom  they 
were  associated. 

While  there  was  talk  at  the  time  of  the  shameful  man 
ner  in  which  Federal  officers  and  Indian  Agents  abused 
their  authority  in  giving  permits  to  dishonest  persons  to 


10  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

drive  stock,  cattle  and  horses,  out  of  the  Indian  country, 
and  sell  it  and  appropriate  the  proceeds  to  private  use,  it 
is  worth  while  to  mention  that  there  was  a  conspicuous 
exception  in  Colonel  Phillips,  the  commander  of  the  Union 
Indian  Brigade  for  nearly  two  years,  and  who  was  a  con 
sistent  friend  of  the  Indians  and  did  all  in  his  power  to 
break  up  the  illegal  operations  of  white  men  coming  into 
the  Indian  country  and  driving  off  the  cattle  and  horses 
of  the  Indians,  their  most  valuable  property. 

The  Indian  Territory  occupied  an  extremely  important 
position  in  the  great  war;  it  was  the  extreme  right  flank 
of  the  Federal  operations  from  the  Potomac  to  the  western 
boundary  of  the  Indian  country,  and  the  turning  of  that 
flank  by  the  Confederates  would  have  been  a  severe  blow 
to  Southern  Kansas;  the  Union  Indian  Brigade  was  an  im 
portant  factor  in  holding  it  intact. 

These  Indian  allies  of  the  Government  were  as  humane 
to  prisoners  taken  in  action  as  the  white  troops  with  whom 
they  were  associated,  and  they  were  as  gallant  in  action 
and  as  patient  in  enduring  perils  and  hardships  as  their 
white  comrades. 

This  work  is  only  a  small  chapter  of  the  history  of 
the  Great  War;  but  it  is  an  honorable  chapter  full  of  in 
teresting  achievements  that  should  not  be  omitted  from 
our  general  history.  The  honorable  part  these  Indians 
took  in  the  war  certainly  has  had  the  effect  of  making 
those  associated  with  them  respect  and  appreciate  the 
splendid  bearing  they  exhibited  in  all  the  struggles  and 
trials  that  fell  to  their  lot  during  that  tempestuous  period. 

When  the  Administration  of  Mr.  Lincoln  came  into 
power,  nearly  all  the  Indian  Agents  of  the  Indian  Territory 
south  of  Kansas  were  Southern  men,  appointees  of  the 
Buchanan  Administration,  and  such  influence  as  they 
possessed  was  used  in  getting  the  Indians  to  denounce  their 
treaty  relations  with  the  United  States  and  to  form  an 
alliance  with  the  new  Confederacy. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  1  j 

The  action  of  the  General  Government  in  evacuating 
the  forts  and  withdrawing  its  troops  from  the  Indian 
country  made  it  easy  for  the  Southern  emissaries  to  per 
suade  the  leaders  of  the  Indians  that  it  would  be  to  their 
interest  to  denounce  their  treaty  relations  with  the  United 
States  and  transfer  their  allegiance  to  the  Southern  Con 
federacy. 

Having  withdrawn  its  troops  from  the  Indian  Terri 
tory  and  having  made  many  blunders  in  the  campaign  in 
Missouri,  the  Federal  Government  did  not  get  back  into 
the  Indian  Territory  until  the  spring  and  summer  of  1862, 
and  then  it  was  confronted  with  the  situation  that  the 
Confederate  authorities  had  organized  for  the  Confederate 
service  nearly  all  of  the  available  men  of  the  Choctaw, 
Cherokee  and  Creek  Nations;  but  the  Cherokees  and 
Creeks  were  divided  on  the  question  as  to  whether  they 
should  give  their  allegiance  to  the  South,  or  continue  their 
treaty  relations  with  the  General  Government,  and  in  the 
attacks  made  by  the  Southern  forces  of  Indians  and  Texans 
upon  the  loyal  Indians  under  the  leadership  of  Hopoeith- 
leyohola,  the  latter  were  defeated,  losing  nearly  all  their 
movable  property  and  retired  to  Southern  Kansas. 

These  loyal  Indians  formed  the  nucleus,  around  which 
were  rallied  a  sufficient  number  of  loyal  Cherokees  and 
Creeks  to  make  the  three  Indian  Regiments  of  the  Union 
Indian  Brigade,  and  when  the  Indian  Expedition  entered 
and  occupied  the  Indian  country  north  of  the  Arkansas 
River  in  the  summer  of  1862,  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
retired,  they  were  the  only  troops  left  to  hold  it.  With 
Western  Arkansas  firmly  held  by  the  Federal  forces,  and 
the  Arkansas  River  open  to  navigation  to  Fort  Smith,  the 
Union  Indian  Brigade  under  its  efficient  commander, 
Colonel  Phillips,  when  properly  mounted  and  supplied,  was 
able  to  hold  the  Indian  country  north  of  the  Arkansas,  and 
give  protection  to  the  loyal  Indians  without  assistance  of 
white  troopis. 

The  commanding  officers  of  the  belligerent  forces  and 


12  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

other  persons  refer  to  the  conduct  of  the  "Pin  Indians/9 

always  with  the  assumption  that  they  were  devoted  to  the 
Union  cause;  they  were  mostly  deserters  from  the  Union 
Indian  regiments  or  refused  to  enlist  in  them,  and  operated 
in  parties  of  fifteen,  twenty  to  fifty  men,  but  always  in 
dependent  of  the  organized  Indian  forces;  their  operations 
were  similar  to  the  operations  of  the  Southern  partisan 
bands  and  guerrillas  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas;  they  were 
considered  outlaws  by  the  Southern  Indian  forces,  and 
never  taken  prisoner. 

In  my  Diaries  of  daily  happenings,  I  took  down  a 
synopsis  of  the  most  important  events  that  came  under 
my  notice,  and  if  I  did  not  participate  in  the  event,  I  found 
some  officer  or  soldier  who  did,  and  took  down  his  account 
of  what  he  saw,  and  before  the  close  of  the  war  I  had  ac 
cumulated  a  good  deal  of  material,  a  large  part  of  which 
was  lost  in  the  hurried  preparation  for  the  evacuation  of 
Fort  Smith. 

In  reporting  the  speeches  or  addresses  of  officers  or 
leaders  in  war  councils  or  on  occasions  of  receptions  or 
celebrations,  if  I  did  not  hear  the  address  in  every  case, 
I  saw  some  officer  or  soldier  who  did  hear  it  and  took 
down  the  principal  points  as  he  remembered  them. 

In  these  addresses  the  speaker  nearly  always  gave  a 
summary  of  the  principal  features  of  a  campaign  just  closed, 
or  what  was  proposed  to  be  accomplished  in  the  campaign 
which  was  planned,  thus  giving  a  good  view  of  the  situar 
tion  as  it  then  appeared  to  him  from  all  the  information 
he  was  able  to  secure. 

I  have  also  used  the  official  reports  and  correspond 
ence  published  by  the  Government  to  verify  as  far  as 
practicable  all  that  I  have  written  in  the  work. 

Under  instructions  of  Colonel  Phillips  I  made  the  first 
detail  of  men  from  the  Battalion  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  to 
work  on  the  fortification  at  Fort  Gibson  in  the  spring  of 
1863,  on  the  Federal  occupation  of  the  place,  and  was  on 
duty  at  the  headquarters  of  the  District  Commanders  at 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  13 

that  post  and  at  Fort  Smith,  and  with  the  troops  in  the 
field,  in  all  our  campaigns  in  that  region,  and  saw  much 
of  the  correspondence  in  regard  to  the  operations  in  which 
we  were  engaged,  and  made  notes  in  my  Diaries  of  any 
thing  I  considered  worth  while. 

In  the  examination  of  a  witness  we  sometimes  require 
him  to  state  his  opportunities  for  knowing  the  facts  about 
which  he  testifies,  so  here  I  may  state  that  I  was  in  a  posi 
tion  to  know  the  facts  about  which  I  have  written  in  this 
work,  and  was  interested  at  the  time  in  knowing  them.  I 
have  used  the  official  reports,  correspondence  and  rosters 
published  by  the  Government  in  verifying  the  names  of 
officers  and  others  participating  in  the  operations  de 
scribed,  and  believe  them  absolutely  correct. 

In  the  investigation  of  war  claims  after  the  war,  in 
that  region,  I  had  occasion  to  cover  many  of  the  operations 
described,  in  the  depositions  of  hundreds  of  claimants  and 
witnesses  whom  I  examined  in  the  course  of  my  work. 

WILEY  BRITTON. 

Kansas  City,  Kansas,  March,  1922. 


THE  UNION  INDIAN  BRIGADE  IN 
THE  CIVIL  WAR 

CHAPTER  I 
Southern  Propaganda  to  Win  Over  Civilized  Indian  Tribes 

During  the  Presidential  Campaign  of  1860  the  writer 
was  visiting  relatives  at  Greenville,  Texas,  and  teaching  a 
school  in  the  country  three  or  four  miles  northeast  of  town, 
and  rode  in  every  Saturday  to  hear  the  news  and  listen  to 
the  discussions  about  the  issues  involved.  The  excitement 
increased  with  the  progress  of  the  campaign,  and  a  month 
or  so  before  the  election  the  Breckenridge  and  Lane  Demo 
crats  were  asserting  that  in  the  event  of  the  election  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  the  Southern  States  would  certainly  secede  or  with 
draw  from  the  Union.  After  the  announcement  of  the  elec 
tion  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  confirmed,  the  people,  the  followers 
of  the  ultra  Democratic  faction,  became  wild  with  excite 
ment,  and  the  talk  of  war,  war  to  the  knife  and  knife  to  the 
hilt,  was  persistent  in  every  little  group  of  men  that  assem 
bled  together  on  the  streets  or  in  the  public  offices. 

Feeling  certain  that  the  Southern  leaders  would  not 
be  conciliated  by  any  efforts  the  new  Administration  might 
make,  short  of  sanctioning  the  withdrawal  of  the  Southern 
States  from  the  Union,  and  knowing  that  the  Republican 
Administration  would  oppose  secession  to  the  bitter  end,  it 
seemed  that  the  writer's  only  course  was  to  get  out  of  the 
country  as  early  as  practicable.  He  saw  from  the  latest 
dispatches  that  some  of  the  Southern  States  had  already 
called  State  Conventions  for  the  announced  purpose  of  pass 
ing  ordinances  of  secession,  and  he  felt  that  if  he  delayed 
his  departure  for  the  North  much  longer,  he  might  find  it 
difficult  to  get  away.  He  therefore  determined  to  mount 
his  horse  and  start  home  to  Missouri  at  once,  without  wait- 

15 


UnicMJyi$ian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 


ing  to  collect  the  amounts  of  tuition  due  from  several  of  his 
patrons.  The  route  he  planned  and  followed  was  through 
Clarksville,  Texas,  across  the  southeast  corner  of  the  Choc- 
taw  Nation,  into  Arkansas,  where  he  struck  the  State  Line 
Road  to  Fort  Smith,  Fayetteville,  and  thence  to  Neosho, 
Missouri,  where  he  intended  to  stop  with  his  parents  until 
spring  and  then  go  to  Kansas.  It  was  raining  when  he 
crossed  Red  River  by  flatboat  ferry  at  the  mouth  of  Mill 
Creek  and  sleeting  and  snowing  when  he  passed  into  Arkan 
sas,  and  the  next  day  turned  freezing  cold.  He  had  a  cold, 
disagreeable  journey  over  the  mountains  to  Fort  Smith  and 
Fayetteville,  after  which  the  weather  moderated,  and  when 
he  arrived  home  a  few  days  after  Christmas  it  was  quite 
pleasant.  The  journey  from  Greenville  was  made  in  about 
eleven  days.  On  account  of  the  inclemency  of  the  weather, 
very  long  rides  were  not  made  each  day,  probably  not  more 
than  twenty-five  to  thirty  miles,  depending  on  the  accomoda- 
tions  he  found  at  the  close  of  the  day  for  lodging  and  stab 
ling  and  feed  for  his  horse  ;  in  some  instances  the  houses  on 
the  road  were  eight  to  ten  miles  apart.  After  riding  all  day 
against  the  chilly  blasts  from  the  north,  and  on  stopping  for 
the  night,  his  horse  stabled  and  fed,  he  sat  down  before  a  big 
blazing  hard  wood  fire  in  the  fire  place.  He  keenly  enjoyed 
the  comforts  it  afforded  and  the  fast  from  morning  until 
night  created  a  sharp  appetite  for  food,  for  none  of  the  few 
houses  on  the  road  were  passed  at  the  dinner  hour.  After 
supper,  which  was  generally  in  a  kitchen  in  a  separate  build 
ing  from  the  main  dwelling,  the  men  folks,  father  and 
sons  and  their  guest,  returned  to  the  comfortable  fire  and 
soon  fell  into  discussion  about  the  impending  war  between 
the  North  and  the  South,  as  they  called  it,  that  all  felt  cer 
tain  would  commence  in  the  spring.  The  hosts,  however, 
did  nearly  all  the  talking,  for  the  guest  considered  it  a  time 
for  prudence  and  silence.  The  people  living  on  or  near  the 
Line  Road  were  only  a  few  miles  from  the  Indian  Territory, 
and  they  and  the  Indians  were  in  constant  communication, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  injhe  ty 

trading  with  each  other,  and  all  matters  affecting  their  in 
terests  were  freely  discussed  as  among  white  neighbors.  As 
the  hosts  at  every  place  where  the  stranger  guest  stopped 
were  full  of  war  talk,  he  was  not  unwilling  to  hear  the  views 
they  held  in  regard  to  the  line  of  action  the  Indians,  whose 
Territory  lay  directly  west  of  Arkansas,  would  probably 
adopt  if  war  really  should  commence  in  the  spring  between 
the  North  and  South,  as  eveiyone  who  talked  on  the  subject 
seemed  to  forecast. 

Along  the  State  Line  Road  there  were  men  of  intelli 
gence,  influence  and  in  easy  circumstances,  who  had  for 
many  years  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  political  situation 
that  was  leading  to  a  near  crisis  and  impending  conflict,  and 
they  talked  freely  about  the  action  the  Indians  west  of 
Arkansas  would  probably  take,  and  of  the  strong  Union 
sentiment  that  existed  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  Arkan 
sas.  They  stated  that  as  soon  as  the  new  Government  was 
organized,  it  would  send  prominent  men  from  Western  Ar 
kansas  and  Northern  Texas  among  the  Indians  and  to  their 
Councils  and  have  mass  meetings  called,  and  these  men 
would  address  the  Councils  and  meetings,  and  point  out  to 
them  why  it  would  be  to  their  interest  to  take  sides  with  the 
South.  There  were  also  prominent  Indian  leaders  who  would 
be  called  upon  to  assist  in  the  work,  and  the  hosts  to  the 
stranger-guest  thought  there  could  be  no  reasonable  doubt 
of  the  Indians  aligning  themselves  with  the  South,  for  many 
of  them  were  slave  owners  whose  natural  interests  and  sym 
pathies  were  with  the  South. 

There  was  decided  hesitation  among  some  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Indians,  particularly  Cherokees  and  Creeks,  in  regard 
to  breaking  treaty  relations  with  the  Federal  Government, 
for  to  them  the  Union  or  the  United  States  had  become  a 
symbol  of  peace  and  happiness,  for  which  they  had  an  affec 
tion  almost  as  strong  as  many  of  the  citizens  of  the  States, 
while  the  new  Government  of  the  South,  to  which  they 
would  be  required  to  transfer  their  allegiance,  was  untried, 


M8 


: :  :*/. ;  'TJie  Umon  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 


and  they  did  not  know  what  it  held  in  store  for  them.  Early 
in  the  secession  movement  the  efforts  of  the  Southern  lead 
ers  to  have  these  Indians  take  sides  with  the  South  met  with 
such  decided  opposition  among  the  Cherokee  s  Creeks  and 
Seminoles  that  it  resulted  in  the  development  among  them 
of  a  strong  Union  sentiment,  a  sentiment  so  strong  that 
it  commenced  to  take  the  form  of  organization,  which  re 
quired  the  new  Confederate  Government  to  send  a  force  of 
Confederate  Cavalry,  under  Colonel  James  Mclntosh,  to 
suppress  the  opposition. 

There  were  a  number  of  Missionaries  who  lived  with 
these  Indians,  and  among  them  Reverend  John  B.  Jones, 
who  was  later  Chaplain  of  the  Second  Indian  Regiment, 
Union  Home  Guards,  and  who  was  opposed  to  slavery.  He 
spoke  the  Cherokee  language  fluently  and,  at  councils  and 
religious  meetings,  addressed  them,  eloquently  advising  them 
to  stand  firmly  by  the  Union ;  that  while  the  situation  looked 
dark  and  gloomy  at  that  early  period  of  the  gathering  storm, 
the  Government  would  wake  up,  was  waking  up  and  would 
exert  its  might  in  driving  the  invaders  from  their  country, 
who  were  terrorizing  and  killing  people,  driving  them  from 
their  homes  and  robbing  them  and  destroying  their  prop 
erty.  It  would  be  difficult  to  measure  the  influence  of  Mr. 
Jones  among  these  Indians  in  keeping  them  loyal  to  the 
Government,  and  spurning  the  advice  given  them  in  the 
harangues  of  Southern  leaders;  for  his  life  among  them 
had  been  of  that  disinterested  and  sympathetic  nature  that 
made  them  have  unbounded  confidence  in  him,  a  confidence, 
too,  that  the  Confederate  leaders  could  not  shake  or  under 
mine. 

The  new  State  of  Kansas  that  bounded  the  northern  line 
of  the  Cherokee  Nation  had  just  passed  through  the  dread 
ful  drought  of  1860,  which  had  paralyzed  the  business  of 
the  people,  causing  thousands  to  leave  it  discouraged  and 
with  no  thought  of  returning,  so  that  those  who  remained 
were  in  no  condition  to  render  assistance  to  the  Indians  in 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  19 

the  way  of  advice  and  propaganda,  for  they  themselves  were 
receiving  aid  in  food  and  clothing  and  farm  implements  from 
the  North,  so  desperate  had  become  their  situation  from  the 
prolonged  drought  over  the  Territory.  There  were  only 
a  few  inches  of  rain  in  the  Territory  during  the  entire  year, 
which  broke  all  known  records  of  the  annual  rain-fall  of 
that  region. 

There  was  a  strip  of  land  known  as  the  Neutral  Land, 
or  Government  Strip,  that  extended  from  the  Missouri-Kan 
sas  line  westward  along  the  southern  line  of  Kansas  for 
several  counties.  It  was  wedge-shaped  and  fifty  miles  wide 
on  the  eastern  end  and  terminated  at  a  zero  point  on  the 
west.  It  belonged  to  the  Cherokee  Indians  under  treaty 
relations,  but  very  few  Indian  families  were  living  on  it  up 
to  the  war.  A  few  white  settlers  or  squatters  were  living 
on  it,  but  they  could  be  lawfully  removed  at  any  time  by  the 
Government.  This  Neutral  Land  that  had  very  few  white 
settlers  living  on  it  was  an  effective  barrier  in  preventing 
propagandists  from  Kansas  crossing  and  going  into  the 
Cherokee  Nation  to  work  for  the  Union  cause  at  a  time  when 
the  flames  of  secession  were  sweeping  over  the  slave  States, 
and  when  agents  of  the  South  had  already  been  sent  among 
the  Indians  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  to  win  them  over 
to  the  Southern  cause. 

The  officials  and  representatives  of  the  Federal  Govern 
ment  among  these  Indians  were  generally  appointees  of 
the  retiring  Democratic  Administration  of  Mr.  Buchanan, 
most  of  whom  resigned  soon  after  the  Administration  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  came  into  power,  and  accepted  appointments  under 
the  newly  formed  Southern  Confederacy.  They  had  ac 
quired  a  degree  of  prestige  under  their  former  appointments 
in  the  Government  service  and  used  their  influence  to  con 
trol  the  actions  of  some  of  the  leaders  of  the  Indian  factions 
who  were  identified  with  and  interested  in  slavery.  While 
there  were  not  very  many  Indians,  or  white  men  who  had 
Indian  wives,  who  owned  slaves,  those  who  did  own  them, 


2()  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

were  generally  men  of  influence  and  easily  won  over  to 
align  themselves  with  the  cause  of  the  South;  but  those 
who  doubted  the  wisdom  of  the  secession  movement  held 
aloof  from  any  organization  that  pledged  its  members  to 
opposition  to  the  General  Government. 

The  writer  lived  only  fifteen  miles  from  the  Indian 
Territory,  and  several  Indian  girls  of  Cherokee  families  at 
tended  the  same  school  at  Neosho,  and  he  was  in  position 
to  know  of  the  stirring  times  and  what  was  going  on  in  the 
Cherokee  Nation  almost  as  well  as  in  his  own  section,  par 
ticularly  of  the  efforts  made  by  the  Southern  leaders  to  have 
the  Cherokees  committed  to  the  cause  of  the  South,  up  to 
the  time  he  left  for  Kansas,  in  April. 

On  the  7th  of  February,  1861,  the  General  Council  of 
the  Choctaw  Nation  assembled  and  passed  resolutions  ex 
pressing  the  feelings  and  sentiments  of  the  Choctaw  people 
in  regard  to  the  disagreement  between  the  Northern  and 
Southern  States  of  the  Union,  and  in  those  resolutions  de 
clared  that  in  the  event  of  the  permanent  dissolution  of  the 
Union,  the  relations  of  the  Choctaw  Nation  with  the  Gen 
eral  Government  must  cease,  and  that  then  being  left  to 
follow  the  natural  affections,  education,  interests  and  insti 
tutions  of  the  Choctaw  people,  which  indissolubly  bound 
them  in  every  way  to  the  destiny  of  their  neighbors  and 
brethren  of  the  Southern  States,  upon  whom  they  felt  they 
could  rely  for  the  preservation  of  their  rights  of  life,  liberty 
and  property,  and  continuance  of  acts  of  friendship,  counsel 
and  material  support,  it  was  to  their  interest  to  share  in 
the  fortunes  of  the  South. 

This  action  was  taken  a  little  more  than  a  month  after 
the  writer  passed  through  the  southeast  part  of  the  Choc 
taw  Nation,  and  it  shows  how  rapidly  events  were  pressing 
towards  a  crisis  involving  the  entire  country;  a  crisis,  too, 
which  would  soon  bring  the  conflicting  elements  together 
in  bloody  struggles,  which  would  determine  whether  the 
Union  should  be  preserved,  or  whether  negro  slavery  should 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  21 

continue  to  exist  and  be  extended  to  the  Territories  which 
had  been  dedicated  to  freedom,  and  whether  the  proponents 
of  slavery  should  continue  the  dominating  power  of  the 
country. 

By  the  early  part  of  April  nearly  all  the  Southern 
Slave  States  except  Missouri,  Kentucky  and  Maryland  had 
passed  ordinances  of  secession,  withdrawing  from  the  Union, 
and  elected  delegates  to  a  convention  of  the  Southern 
States,  and  the  Delegates  of  this  Convention  organized  and 
set  up  a  Provisional  Government  which  they  called  The  Con 
federate  States  of  America,  and  elected  Jeff  Davis  the  first 
President^  with  the  temporary  capital  at  Montgomery,  Ala 
bama. 

The  first  work  of  the  new  Government  was  to  order  the 
seizure  of  the  United  States  Arsenals  with  their  valuable 
supplies  of  war  material  in  the  seceded  States,  and  to  com 
pel  the  surrender  or  evacuation  of  the  Federal  troops  and 
detachments  garrisoning  the  arsenals,  forts  and  posts  within 
those  States,  a  task  that  was  accomplished  without  bloodshed 
in  most  cases,  for  military  organizations  were  rapidly  de 
veloped  in  the  early  movement  of  secession,  and  any  resist 
ing  force  or  detachment  could  have  been  quickly  over 
whelmed  by  superior  forces,  or  their  positions  made  un 
tenable. 

After  the  supplies  were  cut  off  from  Fort  Smith,  a  post 
on  the  Arkansas  River,  on  the  State  line  between  Arkansas 
and  the  Indian  Territory,  it  was  evacuated  by  Captain  Sam 
uel  D.  Sturgis, commanding  two  companies  of  the  First  U.  S. 
Cavalry,  on  April  23rd,  and  he  marched  with  such  supplies 
as  he  could  take  along,  to  Fort  Washita,  Chickasaw  Nation, 
160  miles  southwest,  where  he  reported  to  Colonel  W.  H. 
Emory,  First  Cavalry,  who  had  recently  been  assigned  by 
the  War  Department,  after  a  conference  with  him  in  Wash 
ington,  to  the  command  of  all  the  Federal  troops  in  the  In 
dian  Territory.  He  was  a  Southern  born  man,  and  as  nearly 
all  the  officers  of  the  Regular  Army  of  Southern  birth  were 


22  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

resigning  from  the  Army  and  offering  their  services  to  the 
Confederacy,  the  Federal  Government  at  Washington  was 
sounding  officers  of  Southern  birth  as  to  their  views  in 
regard  to  the  crisis  at  hand,  and  as  to  whether  they  would 
support  the  Government  before  assigning  them  to  important 
positions.  In  a  short  time  after  his  arrival  from  Washing 
ton  to  assume  command  at  Fort  Washita,  Colonel  Emory 
found  that  supplies  for  that  post  had  been  seized  by  the  se 
cessionists,  and  on  April  15th  he  evacuated  it  and  retired 
in  the  direction  of  Forts  Arbuckle  and  Cobb.  It  was  occu 
pied  the  next  day  by  a  large  force  of  Texans,  and  in  the 
early  part  of  May  he  evacuated  Forts  Arbuckle  and  Cobb, 
bringing  away  all  the  public  property  for  which  he  had 
transportation,  and  retired  through  the  Indian  Territory  and 
Kansas  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  the  evacuated  forts  were 
at  once  occupied  by  Texans  and  Indians,  who  were  keenly 
disappointed  in  allowing  the  Federal  troops  to  get  away 
with  nearly  all  the  arms  and  supplies  they  had  on  hand.  On 
taking  possession  of  the  forts  the  Texans  and  Indians  found 
very  little  that  would  be  of  value  to  them  in  arming  and 
equipping  their  newly  organized  forces;  but  the  fact  that 
the  Federal  commander  decided  to  evacuate  the  forts  and 
march  out  of  the  country  gave  the  secessionists  increased 
prestige  among  the  Indians,  and  the  Choctaws  and  Chicka- 
saws  commenced  at  once,  with  the  assistance  of  Southern 
leaders,  the  organization  of  military  companies  for  the  pur 
pose  of  co-operating  with  the  Southern  forces  operating  in 
the  country  when  the  time  came  for  action. 

While  these  movements  were  taking  place  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  the  Governors  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas  refused 
to  furnish  their  quotas  of  troops  under  President  Lincoln's 
call  for  seventy-five  thousand  men  for  the  purpose  of  sup 
pressing  the  insurrection  in  the  Slave  States,  and  the  Fed 
eral  troops  had  been  withdrawn  from  all  the  Government 
Posts  in  Arkansas;  but  the  new  Administration  was  de 
termined  not  to  abdicate  its  authority  in  Missouri,  nor  to 


The  Univn  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  23 

withdraw  any  Federal  troops  from  the  State;  nor  permit 
the  surrender  of  the  St.  Louis  Arsenal,  with  its  valuable 
stores  of  arms,  ammunition  and  equipments,  to  the  State 
authorities,  which  had  been  pledged  to  support  the  South, 
without  a  struggle  that  would  test  the  strength  of  the  op 
posing  forces  in  the  State  for  a  majority  of  the  people  not 
only  of  St.  Louis,  but  of  the  State,  were  in  favor  of  the 
Union,  as  had  been  shown  by  the  action  of  the  State  Con 
vention,  which  refused  to  vote  an  ordinance  of  secession,  a 
large  majority  of  the  delegates  having  been  elected  as  Union 
delegates  and  as  opposed  to  secession.  In  the  face  of  this 
large  majority  of  Union  delegates  in  the  Convention,  Gov 
ernor  Jackson  and  his  followers  were  determined  to  ignore 
its  mandate  and  pledge  the  State  to  the  Southern  Con 
federacy,  regardless  of  consequences. 

Early  in  May  Major  Ben  McCulloch,  of  Texas,  was  ap 
pointed  brigadier  general  by  the  Confederate  Government 
in  the  Provisional  Army  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  as 
signed  to  the  command  of  the  Indian  Territory  west  of 
Arkansas  and  south  of  Kansas,  and  given  three  regiments, 
one  from  Texas,  one  from  Louisiana  and  one  from  Arkansas, 
with  headquarters  at  Fort  Smith,  for  such  military  opera 
tions  as  might  be  designed. 

As  soon  as  practicable  after  assuming  command  of  his 
new  district,  General  McCulloch  established  a  camp,  called 
Camp  Walker,  in  honor  of  the  Confederate  Secretary  of 
War,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Benton  County,  Arkansas, 
only  a  mile  or  so  from  the  Arkansas-Indian  Territory  line, 
and  only  a  few  miles  from  Maysville  and  Old  Fort  Wayne, 
which  were  on  and  near  the  line  in  the  Cherokee  Nation, 
for  drilling  and  disciplining  the  newly  organized  regiments 
assigned  to  his  command.  It  was  a  good  point  from  which 
he  could  carry  on  propaganda  work  among  the  Indians,  and 
be  in  close  touch  with  the  Missouri  secessionists  and  brace 
them  up  at  a  time  when  operations  were  going  against 
them. 


24  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

In  the  early  part  of  May  the  State  Convention  of  Ar 
kansas,  which  assembled  at  Little  Rock,  passed  the  ordi 
nance  of  secession  and  created  N.  B.  Pearce,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  the  State,  a  brigadier  general  of  Arkansas  State 
troops,  to  command  the  western  frontier,  with  headquar 
ters  in  Benton  County,  where  he  would  have  a  brigade  of 
three  regiments  under  instructions  and  discipline,  and  as 
a  corps  of  observation  to  co-operate  with  General  McCul- 
loch's  force  if  the  requirements  of  military  operations 
against  the  Federal  forces  should  demand  it,  which  seemed 
probable  from  the  aggressive  activity  of  the  Missouri  se 
cessionists. 

General  McCulloch  was  anxious  to  have  the  assistance 
of  Captain  Albert  Pike,  who  was  then  a  prominent  figure 
in  Arkansas  politics,  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  the 
Cherokee  Indians  to  prevent  the  emissaries  of  the  Union 
cause  from  poisoning  the  minds  of  the  fullbloods,  many  of 
whom  he  alleged  were  already  abolitionists,  while  most  of 
the  half-breeds  and  enlightened  part  of  the  nation  were 
with  the  South  in  their  sympathies,  some  of  them  being 
slave  owners.  Captain  Pike  was  a  New  England  born 
man;  a  poet  and  politician  of  some  distinction,  and  had 
lived  in  the  Choctaw  and  Cherokee  Nations  many  years 
prior  to  the  war  and  was  well  known  to  many  of  the  lead 
ers  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  of  the  Indian  Territory, 
and  it  was  believed  by  the  Confederate  authorities  that  he 
would  have  great  influence  among  them.  At  the  time, 
however,  he  lived  at  Little  Rock. 

In  the  early  part  of  May  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Senator 
R.  W.  Johnson,  of  Arkansas,  giving  his  views  at  consider 
able  length  in  regard  to  affairs  in  the  Indian  Territory, 
and  in  which  he  made  many  suggestions  in  order,  as  he 
conceived,  to  secure  the  good  will  and  allegiance  of  the 
Indians  to  the  South,  and  to  raise  among  them  three  or 
four  regiments  of  Indian  troops  for  the  defense  of  their 
country,  in  co-operation  with  several  regiments  of  white 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  {he  Civil  War.  25 

troops  from  Texas  and  Arkansas.  He  did  not  exactly  ask 
for  the  appointment  of  general  to  command  the  troops 
which  he  proposed  to  raise  in  Arkansas  and  the  Indian 
Territory  for  the  defense  of  the  Indian  country,  but  he 
mentioned  several  splendid  things  he  would  do  if  given  the 
command.  The  Confederate  Government,  however,  had 
other  use  for  him  at  that  time  and  appointed  him  a  Com 
missioner  among  the  Indian  tribes  west  of  Arkansas  and 
south  of  Kansas,  to  supervise  the  new  treaties  to  be  made 
with  them;  to  explain  any  features  of  the  new  situation 
that  needed  explanation,  and  to  guarantee  the  right  of 
members  of  the  new  military  organizations  of  battalions 
and  regiments  to  elect  their  own  field  officers,  instead  of 
having  such  officers  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  War  on 
the  recommendation  of  political  leaders  of  factions  who  had 
been  making  recommendations  for  appointments  of  political 
friends  and  supporters  without  any  regard  to  their  fitness 
for  the  positions. 

He  was  of  a  kindly,  conciliatory  nature  and  the  Con 
federate  Government  could  not  have  selected  a  more  effi 
cient  man  to  deal  with  the  Indians  under  the  new  condi 
tions.  Later  that  year,  howrever,  he  was  commissioned 
brigadier  general  to  command  the  Indian  forces  organized 
in  the  Indian  Territory  for  the  Confederate  service,  a  posi 
tion  that  seemed  to  satisfy  his  ambition  to  serve  the  Con 
federacy.  He  was  afterwards  known  as  General  Pike  and 
was  a  conspicuous  figure  around  Washington  for  many 
years  after  the  war,  up  to  his  death.  He  was  very  vener 
able  and  benignant  in  appearance ;  his  long  white  hair  fall 
ing  in  hyacinthian  curls  upon  his  shoulders;  he  was  a 
thirty-third  degree  Mason  and  senior  officer  of  the  order 
in  this  country,  and  his  great  prominence  was  probably  due 
to  his  contributions  to  Masonic  literature,  and  his  almost 
devout  interest  in  the  order. 

The  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  Nations,  by  the  action  of 
their  Councils  and  Legislatures  and  by  proclamations  of 


26  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

their  principal  Chief  and  Governor,  declared  their  adher 
ence  to  the  Confederate  Government,  giving  reasons  for 
their  action  by  preamble  and  resolutions;  but  in  order  to 
get  results,  it  was  necessary  for  the  Confederate  Govern 
ment  to  bring  pressure  to  bear  upon  the  people  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation  to  induce  them  to  change  their  attitude 
of  neutrality  and  come  out  openly  and  declare  adherence 
and  allegiance  to  the  Confederacy.  It  was  generally  known 
to  the  Southern  leaders  in  Arkansas  that  the  Cherokee 
people  were  divided  upon  this  issue,  and  that  it  might  not 
be  an  easy  task  to  have  the  recalcitrants  adopt  the  pro 
posed  changes  of  faith  and  allegiance  in  the  twinkling  of 
the  eye. 

As  early  as  January,  1861,  Governor  Rector,  of  Ar 
kansas,  dispatched  an  emissary,  one  of  his  aids,  Colonel 
Gaines,  with  a  letter  to  John  Ross,  Principal  Chief  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  with  overtures,  laying  the  foundation  for 
asking  the  Cherokee  people  to  join  their  fortunes  with  the 
South,  in  the  impending  withdrawal  or  secession  of  the 
Slave  States  from  the  Union,  and  in  his  letter  stated  that 
on  account  of  Northern  aggressions  the  people  of  some  of 
the  Southern  States  had  already  assumed  an  attitude  of 
separation,  and  that  the  others  would  probably  pursue  the 
same  course  before  the  inauguration  of  Mr.  Lincoln;  that 
the  people  of  Arkansas  and  the  Cherokee  Nation  were 
natural  allies  in  war  and  friends  in  peace;  that  on  account 
of  latitude,  contiguity  of  territory  and  having  similar  in 
stitutions,  slavery,  relations  of  so  intimate  a  character  had 
been  developed  as  to  preclude  the  idea  of  discordant  or 
separate  action  by  the  Cherokee  people. 

After  General  McCulloch  assumed  command  of  the  De 
partment  of  the  Indian  Territory,  the  latter  part  of  May, 
he  had  an  interview  with  Chief  Ross  at  which  he  used  sub 
stantially  the  same  argument  as  Governor  Rector,  to  induce 
him  to  prepare  the  way  for  having  the  Cherokee  Nation 
declare  its  adherence  and  allegiance  to  the  Southern  Con- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  27 

federacy,  at  the  same  time  using  a  veiled  threat  that  if  the 
Chief  did  not  take  such  action  he,  McCulloch,  might  find 
it  necessary,  if  there  should  be  a  threatened  invasion  of  the 
Cherokee  country  from  Kansas,  to  occupy  it  with  his  troops, 
then  at  Camp  Walker,  touching  the  eastern  border  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation.  At  that  interview  Chief  Ross  protested 
that  he  desired  his  people  to  take  a  neutral  attitude  during 
the  impending  conflict  between  the  United  and  Confederate 
States ;  that  he  did  not  apprehend  the  invasion  of  his  coun 
try  from  the  North,  and  that  if  an  invasion  from  that 
quarter  should  be  attempted,  he  would  head  his  own  forces 
to  repel  it,  and  that  the  General's  demand  that  those  people 
of  the  nation  who  were  in  favor  of  joining  the  Confederacy 
be  allowed  to  organize  into  military  companies  or  Home 
Guards  in  defense  of  their  country  in  case  of  invasion  from 
the  North,  he  could  not  sanction  for  the  reason  it  would 
be  the  means  of  stirring  up  domestic  strife  and  of  inviting 
invasion. 

In  the  rapid  march  of  events  Chief  Ross  was  obliged 
to  give  up  his  proposed  neutrality  of  the  Cherokee  people 
during  the  war,  which  was  now  being  fiercely  waged  by  the 
forces  of  the  Union  and  Southern  armies,  and  in  two  great 
battles,  Bull  Run,  Virginia,  July  22,  and  Wilson  Creek,  Mis 
souri,  August  10,  within  cannon  sound  of  the  Cherokee 
Nation,  the  Union  armies  had  been  defeated  with  thousands 
of  killed  and  wounded  men  and  compelled  to  retreat  to  their 
bases  of  operations,  giving  the  Confederacy  an  unlooked-for 
prestige,  and  in  forecasting  the  outcome  of  the  war,  led 
nearly  all  doubting  minds  to  believe  that  the  South  would 
be  successful  in  winning  her  independence. 

These  decisive  defeats  of  the  Union  armies  were  used 
for  all  they  were  worth  by  the  friends  of  the  South  to  im 
press  upon  the  minds  of  those  who  were  hesitating,  unde 
cided,  as  to  which  side  they  would  give  their  support  and 
adherence,  now  hesitated  no  longer  and  declared  that  hence 
forward  they  would  support  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy. 


28  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War- 

When  these  defeats  of  the  Union  armies  became  known 
to  the  people  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  a  general  mass  meet 
ing  was  called  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Nation 
to  be  held  at  Tahlequah,  August  21,  for  the  purpose  of  giv 
ing  the  Cherokee  people  an  opportunity  of  expressing  their 
opinions  and  taking  such  action  as  the  situation  seemed  to 
call  for.     In  addressing  the  meeting  Chief  Ross  told  his 
audience  that  the  Great  Government  with  which  his  people 
had  been  connected  was  rent  by  dissensions,  and  its  com 
ponent  parts  stood  in  hostile  array,  and  had  already  engaged 
in  deadly  conflict ;  that  the  United  States  claimed  they  were 
contending  for  the  integrity  of  their  Government,  and  that 
the  South  claimed  she  was  contending  for  her  independence 
and  a  government  of  her  own.    The  Chief  went  on  further 
to  say  that  the  Slave  States  would  probably  establish  a  new 
government,  and  that  in  view  of  the  position  of  the  Chero 
kee  Nation  with  Arkansas  on  the  east,  and  on  the  south 
"  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  Nations,  who  had  already  sev 
ered  their  relations  with  the  United  States  and  joined  the 
Confederacy,  the  disruption  of  the  United  States  was  prob 
ably  permanent,  and  that  in  his  opinion  it  would  be  in  the 
interest  of  the  Cherokee  people  to  make  an  alliance  with  the 
Confederate  Government. 

After  Chief  Ross's  speech  an  organization  was  effected 
for  the  transaction  of  business  and  in  the  course  of  the 
proceedings  Joseph  Vann  was  elected  assistant  principal 
chief  and  president  of  the  meeting,  and  William  P.  Ross 
secretary,  and  then  a  recess  was  taken  until  after  dinner, 
when  the  people  again  assembled. 

On  the  meeting  being  called  to  order,  P.  M.  Benge 
prepared  and  offered  a  preamble  and  resolutions  covering 
the  situation,  for  the  consideration  of  the  people,  ending 
with  the  resolution  "That  reposing  full  confidence  in  the 
constituted  authorities  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  we  submit 
to  their  wisdom  the  management  of  all  questions  which 
affect  our  interests  growing  out  of  the  exigencies  of  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  29 

relations  between  the  United  and  Confederate  States  of 
America,  and  which  may  render  an  alliance  on  our  part  with 
the  latter  States  expedient  and  desirable." 

The  resolutions  upon  the  question  of  their  passage  were 
carried  by  acclamation,  and  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  Cherokee  Nation,  headed  by  Chief  Ross,  at  once  ad 
dressed  a  letter  to  General  McCulloch  advising  him  of  the 
action  taken  at  the  meeting,  which  authorized  them  to 
form  an  alliance  with  the  Confederate  States,  which  they 
had  determined  to  do  as  early  as  practicable,  and  inclosed 
him  a  copy  of  the  proceedings,  preamble  and  resolutions 
passed  by  acclamation;  and  they  further  stated  that  they 
would  proceed  to  organize  a  regiment  of  mounted  men  to 
be  commanded  by  Colonel  John  Drew  and  tender  them  for 
service,  and  if  accepted  by  the  Confederate  Government, 
would  have  to  be  armed  and  equipped  and  prepared  for  act 
ive  service  in  the  field.  But  in  spite  of  the  preamble  and 
resolutions  of  confidence  in  the  Confederacy  at  this  great 
mass  meeting  of  the  Cherokee  people  and  an  expression 
of  willingness  to  make  an  alliance  with  it,  there  was  un 
questionably  a  strong  undeveloped  opposition  to  such  a 
course,  for  as  General  McCulloch  had  reported  to  the  Con 
federate  Government,  nearly  all  of  the  fullblood  and  many 
half-breed  Cherokees,  with  Chief  Ross  as  their  leader,  were 
opposed  to  slavery  and  called  abolitionists,  and  it  would 
have  been  a  safe  prediction,  would  show  their  true  colors 
when  they  could  do  so  with  reasonable  safety. 


30  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

CHAPTER  II 
SOUTHERN  FORCES  ATTACK  HOPOEITHLEYOHOLA 

At  the  time  the  Cherokee  Nation  decided  to  sever 
relations  with  the  General  Government,  the  Union  cause 
in  Missouri  was  suffering  from  serious  blunders  of  Fed 
eral  commanders  in  the  State,  which  permitted  the  de 
feat  of  General  Lyon's  army  at  Wilson  Creek,  and  which 
also  permitted  the  secession  forces  under  General  Price 
to  march  unchecked  after  the  battle  via  Fort  Scott  to  the 
Missouri  River,  lay  siege  to  and  capture  Lexington,  and 
to  threaten  Kansas  with  invasion  and  desolation  from  the 
south  by  the  Confederate  forces  under  General  McCulloch. 
Indeed,  the  situation  must  have  looked  exceedingly  gloomy 
to  the  loyal  part  of  the  Cherokee  people  whose  natural 
sympathies  were  with  the  Union  cause  and  who  desired 
to  remain  loyal  to  it. 

There  was  about  the  same  division  of  sentiment  in 
regard  to  breaking  treaty  relations  with  the  United  States 
and  joining  the  Confederacy,  among  the  Creeks  and  Semi- 
noles  as  among  the  Cherokees,  but  Commissioner  Pike  for 
the  Confederacy,  negotiated  a  treaty  with  the  faction  that 
wished  to  join  the  Confederacy,  which  enabled  the  leaders 
of  that  faction  to  commence  at  once  the  organization  of 
a  regiment  whose  services  were  to  be  tendered  to  the 
Confederate  Government  for  co-operation  with  the  Con 
federate  forces  in  the  Indian  Territory  and  on  its  borders. 

The  Confederate  authorities  had  now  secured  the 
organization  of  the  military  forces  of  the  Choctaw  and 
Chickasaw  Nations,  and  with  the  raising  of  the  con 
templated  regiments  among  the  Cherokees,  Creeks  and 
Seminoles  would  have  Indian  forces  of  between  four  and 
five  thousand  mounted  troops  to  co-operate  with  the  Con 
federate  forces  under  General  McCulloch  for  the  invasion 
(Of  Kansas,  which  was  contemplated  and  frequently  men 
tioned  in  his  plan  of  operation^. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  31 

As  early  as  February  the  Southern  Slave  States  com 
menced  seizing  the  United  States  Arsenals  within  their 
limits  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  valuable  ordnance 
stores  and  supplies  for  arming  and  equipping  the  new 
military  organizations  they  were  calling  into  service,  and 
as  most  of  the  Cabinet  members  of  the  Buchanan  Adminis 
tration  were  Southern  men  or  in  sympathy  with  the  South, 
they  did  little  or  nothing  to  prevent  the  State  authorities 
of  those  States  from  seizing  the  arsenals,  forts  and  mili 
tary  posts  within  their  limits  with  the  valuable  ordnance, 
quartermaster  and  commissary  supplies,  if  indeed  they 
did  not  encourage  such  action,  for  they  were  intending  to 
resign  their  positions  when  the  new  Administration  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  came  into  power. 

On  the  8th  of  February,  Captain  James  Totten  com 
manding  the  Little  Rock  Arsenal,  with  one  company  of 
the  Second  U.  S.  Artillery  and  an  ordnance  detachment, 
received  reliable  information  that  some  four  hundred  seces 
sionists  of  the  State  of  Arkansas  had  arrived  at  Little 
Rock  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  Arsenal,  and  that 
if  the  captain  did  not  surrender  it  they  proposed  with 
superior  numbers  to  attack  and  capture  it,  at  the  same 
time  stating  that  they  would  be  re-enforced  in  a  few  days 
by  five  thousand  men.  Captain  Totten  failed  to  receive  in 
structions  from  the  War  Department,  Washington,  as  to 
the  course  he  should  pursue  and  the  situation  was  daily 
becoming  more  threatening.  He  knew  he  did  not  have  a 
sufficient  force  to  repel  an  attack  and  after  some  corre 
spondence  with  the  Governor  he  decided  to  evacuate  the 
Arsenal  and  retire  beyond  the  limits  of  the  State.  The 
Governor  had  become  a  factor  in  the  situation,  such  an 
active  factor  as  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  Arsenal 
to  the  State,  to  prevent  its  attack  with  attendant  blood 
shed  and  loss  of  life,  and  as  to  offer  and  agree  to,  and  did, 
receipt  to  Captain  Totten  for  all  public  property  in  the 
Arsenal,  to  hold  the  same  in  the  name  of  the  United  States 
until  he  should  be  legally  absolved  from  the  trust.  Under 


32  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

this  agreement   Captain   Totten  was   permitted   to   retire 
with  his  command  with  their  arms  and  equipments,  and 
was  given  safe  passage  out  of  the  State,  and  on  the  12th 
embarked  on  the  Steamboat  Madora,  for  St.  Louis,  and  ar 
rived  there  in  a  few  days  without  further  interference. 

On  April  23d,  Captain  S.  D.  Sturgis  with  two  com 
panies  of  the  First  U.  S.  Cavalry,  evacuated  Fort  Smith 
and  marched  to  Fort  Washita,  Chickasaw  Nation,  one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  miles  southwest,  taking  along  all  supplies 
at  the  post  for  which  he  had  transportation.  The  State 
authorities  had  cut  off  his  supplies  en  route  up  the  river 
by  steamboat,  and  the  post  had  therefore  become  unten 
able.  A'n  hour  after  he  left  two  steamboats  arrived  from 
Little  Rock  with  three  hundred  men  and  ten  pieces  of 
artillery  of  the  State  forces,  although  the  Convention  had 
not  passed  the  ordinance  of  secession.  The  State  authori 
ties  had  intended  to  secure  the  arms,  ammunition  and  sup 
plies  at  that  post. 

The  leaders  of  the  secessionists  of  the  slave  States 
were  anxious  to  get  possession  of  the  arsenals  within  their 
limits  even  before  the  states  had  seceded,  in  order  that 
they  might  use  the  ordnance  stores  to  arm  and  equip  the 
military  organizations  coming  into  existence,  and  it  was  a 
matter  of  common  knowledge  that  the  state  authorities 
connived  at  and  encouraged  the  seizures  by  irregular  or 
ganizations  in  every  instance ;  some  enthusiastic  supporters 
of  the  South  even  lamented  that  the  United  States  troops 
in  evacuating  military  posts  had  been  permitted  to  get 
away  with  their  armsy  equipments  and  supplies  on  hand. 
From  the  forts  evacuated  Jn  the  Indian  Territory,  Colonel 
W.  H.  Emory  and  his  subordinates  were  able  to  take  away 
with  tfhem  all  the  arms,  equipments  and  supplies  for  which 
they  had  transportation,  thus  depriving  the  Indians  and 
their  Southern  allies  of  the  means  of  immediately  arming 
for  the  Confederate  service.  The  difficulty  of  securing 
arms  and  equipments  at  this  early  period  of  the  war  for 
the  new  levies  of  troops  was  keenly  felt  by  the  Confed 
erate  authorities,  and  also  by  the  Federal  authorities. 


GEN.  BEN  MCCULLOCH 
GEN.  WILLIAM  STEELE 


GEN.  STANA  WATIE 
GEN.  S.  B.  MAXEY 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  33 

About  the  first  effort  of  the  Confederate  Government 
to  organize  the  five  civilized  tribes  of  the  Indian  Territory 
who  had  declared  their  adherence  to  the  Confederate 
States,  for  military  service,  was  in  May,  when  the  Con 
federate  Secretary  of  War  wrote  Douglas  H.  Cooper  for 
merly  an  Indian  agent  for  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw 
tribes,  authorizing  him  to  raise  a  regiment  of  Choctaw 
and  Chickasaw  Indians  for  the  Confederate  service  to  act 
in  co-operation  with  General  McCulloch  who  had  been  as 
signed  to  the  command  of  the  Indian  Territory  west  of 
Arkansas  and  south  of  Kansas,  with  a  brigade  of  three 
regiments,  one  each  from  Texas,  Louisiana  and  Arkansas. 
The  regiment  to  be  raised  was  to  be  armed  and  equipped 
by  the  Confederate  Government  as  soon  as  practicable  af 
ter  its  organization  was  effected,  and  to  be  known  as 
"Mounted  Riflemen."  It  was  also  announced  at  the  same 
time  that  it  was  the  purpose  of  the  Confederate  Govern 
ment  to  raise  two  other  similar  regiments  among  the 
Cherokees,  Creeks  and  Seminoles,  under  the  same  condi 
tions  and  with  the  same  object  in  view.  Douglas  H.  Cooper 
who  had  received  the  appointment  as  colonel,  reported  to 
the  Confederate  Government  July  25th,  that  the  Choctaw 
and  Chickasaw  regiment  of  Mounted  Rifles  was  about  com 
plete,  but  had  received  no  arms;  that  the  Choctaw  and 
Chickasaw  Nations  could  furnish  ten  thousand  warriors; 
that  they  were  unfit  for  garrison  duty,  and  in  the  field 
would  be  a  terror  to  the  Yankees,  and  that  he  desired  to 
hold  in  addition  to  the  position  of  colonel  of  the  regiment 
thus  raised,  also  that  of  Agent  of  the  Choctaws  and  Chick- 
asaws,  which  Commissioner  Pike  thought  incompatible. 

As  already  stated,  it  was  determined  by  the  Cherokees 
at  their  mass  meeting  in  August  at  Tahlequah  to  raise  a 
regiment  of  mounted  men  under  Colonel  John  Drew  for  the 
Confederate  service  to  co-operate  with  the  white  troops 
under  General  McCulloch,  and  now  preparations  were 
being  made  for  the  organization  of  a  regiment  of  men 
among  the  Creeks  and  Seminoles  who  were  mostly  opposed 


34  The  Union Jndian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

to  renouncing  their  treaty  relations  with  the  United  States, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  Commissioner  Pike  and  a 
number  of  the  leaders  of  the  Creek  and  Seminole  ^Nations, 
it  was  daily  becoming  more  certain  that  the  leaders  of  this 
large  faction  were  determined  to  fight  rather  than  give 
their  adherence  to  the  Confederacy.  In  the  latter  part  of 
August,  Hopoeithleyohola,  the  chief  of  the  Creeks  and 
leader  of  the  faction  who  were  determined  to  stand  by  the 
Nation's  treaty  relations  with  the  United  States,  sent  a 
messenger  to  Mr.  E.  H.  Carruth,  the  United  States  Com 
missioner  for  the  Creek  and  Seminole  Indians,  advising 
him  of  the  situation  and  asking  for  assistance  to  meet  the 
threatened  attack  from  the  other  faction,  aided  by  several 
regiments  of  Texas  and  Arkansas  troops,  who  were  in  the 
Choctaw  country  south  of  the  Arkansas  River,  co-operating 
with  the  Indians  who  had  entered  the  Confederate  service. 
Mr.  Carruth  was  with  Lane's  Brigade  near  Fort  Scott  at 
the  time,  and  in  reply  to  the  Chief's  message  requested  him 
to  send  a  delegation  of  his  best  men  to  meet  the  United 
States  Commissioner  in  Kansas;  that  the  President  was 
alive  and  would  not  forget  him  and  his  people  who  were 
loyal  to  the  Government;  that  he  was  authorized  to  say 
the  Federal  army  would  soon  move  southward  and  drive 
out  the  enemy  who  had  violated  their  homes  and  from  the 
land  they  had  treacherously  entered,  and  that  when  his 
delegates  returned  to  him  they  would  be  able  to  inform 
him  when  and  where  the  moneys  would  be  paid  to  his 
people;  that  those  who  stole  their  orphan  fund  would  be 
punished,  and  assuring  him  that  the  Government  which 
had  so  long  protected  them  was  their  friend,  and  would 
aid  them  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment.  This  com 
munication  heartened  the  loyal  faction  of  the  Creeks  and 
Seminoles,  and  the  leaders  commenced  at  once  to  prepare 
for  the  struggle  which  they  knew  was  near  at  hand.  They 
also  knew  that  they  would  be  obliged  to  meet  the  attack 
of  not  only  their  own  disaffected  people,  but  also  the  com 
bined  attack  of  the  disaffected  Cherokees,  re-enforced  by 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil'jWar.  35 

the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  regiments  and  three  or  four 
white  regiments  from  Texas  and  Arkansas. 

The  eastern  border  counties  of  Kansas  were  threat 
ened  by  invasion  by  the  Missouri  secessionists,  and  not  a 
company  of  the  regiments  then  being  called  into  service 
in  Kansas  under  General  Lane  for  the  protection"  of  those 
counties  could  be  spared  to  re-enforce  the  Creek  chief; 
neither  was  the  Government  in  a  position  to  send  him  re- 
enforcements  from  other  quarters. 

The  leaders  of  the  Creeks  had  therefore  determined 
that,  if  attacked  by  overwhelming  forces  of  the  enemy, 
they  would  retire  north  to  the  Kansas  Border  where  they 
would  look  for  re-enforcements;  should  the  enemy  pursue 
them,  they  believed  that  the  people  of  Kansas  would  be 
aroused  to  come  to  their  assistance  by  an  invasion  from 
the  south. 

The  Administration  at  Washington  was  exerting  all 
its  energies  in  dealing  with  the  loyal  states  of  the  North 
and  the  border  slave  states  in  regard  to  furnishing,  or 
ganizing  and  equipping  their  quotas  of  troops  under  the 
second  call  of  the  President  for  six  hundred  thousand  men, 
and  had  been  unable  to  give  the  attention  to  the  conditions 
developing  among  the  Indians  south  of  Kansas  and  west 
of  Arkansas  that  the  situation  demanded,  and  was  pressing 
and  of  immediate  importance.  It  was  an  immense  task 
imposed  upon  the  Government  to  make  the  necessary 
preparations  for  an  advance  southward  on  the  long  front 
from  the  Potomac  through  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Missouri 
and  the  Indian  Territory  to  New  Mexico,  in  the  face  of  the 
many  disadvantages  which  had  been  interposed  by  South 
ern  men  who  were  in  control  of  the  Government  until  the 
Administration  of  Mr.  Lincoln  came  into  power.  While 
there  was  some  impatience  manifested  by  the  Unionists 
and  friends  of  the  Government  in  the  border  slave  states 
and  Indian  Territory  in  regard  to  the  seeming  backward 
ness  in  getting  its  military  forces  in  readiness  for  actively 
aggressive  operations,  there  was  really  little  cause  for  im- 


36  TheJJnion  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

patience,  when  the  fact  is  taken  into  consideration  that 
there  was  stupendous  work  to  be  done  before  it  could 
safely  undertake  aggressive  movements  on  a  large  scale. 
After  the  battle  of  Wilson  Creek,  General  Price  had  suc 
cessfully  marched  his  secession  forces  from  Springfield  to 
a  point  within  sight  of  Fort  Scott  and  thence  to  the  Mis 
souri  River  where  he  laid  siege  to  and  captured  the  Federal 
force  holding  Lexington,  which  gave  him  great  temporary 
prestige;  but,  before  he  had  an  opportunity  of  enjoying 
the  fruity  of  his  victory,  and  take  away  much  loot,  Gen 
eral  Fremont  was  urged  by  the  President  to  advance  with 
his  fairly  well  organized  and  equipped  army  of  perhaps 
upwards  of  forty  thousand  men  and  attack  the  secession 
ists.  The  movements  of  the  different  divisions  threatened 
to  cut  off  Price's  army  or  force  him  to  give  battle  to 
superior  forces  with  superior  equipments,  and,  finding  his 
position  untenable  at  Lexington,  he  beat  a  hasty  retreat 
and  kept  it  up  until  he  arrived  at  Neosho  and  Pineville, 
McDonald  county,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  State, 
bordering  on  the  Cherokee  Nation,  with  greatly  diminished 
prestige,  which  was  noted  by  both  factions  of  the  Cherokee 
people,  cooling  the  ardor  of  those  who  had  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  South,  and  kindling  almost  to  enthusiasm 
those  who  had  been  in  favor  of  remaining  loyal  to  the 
Federal  Government. 

This'  splendid  movement  of  Fremont's  army,  which 
advanced  as  far  south  and  west  as  the  battle  field  of 
Wilson  Creek,  twelve  miles  southwest  of  Springfield,  and 
forced  Price's  army  into  a  humiliating  retreat  from  Lex 
ington  into  the  rough,  hilly  region  of  McDonald  county, 
was  to  come  to  nothing  and  count  for  nothing.  At  the 
moment  of  its  full  tide  of  success,  General  Fremont  was 
removed  on  his  arrival  at  Springfield,  and  General  David 
Hunter  placed  in  temporary  command  and  ordered  by  the 
War  Department  to  retire  the  army  to  Rolla  and  Sedalia, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  east  and  north,  thus 
yielding  up  to  the  enemy  in  a  few  days  all  that  part  of 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.          37 

the  State  south  of  the  Osage  River,  extending-  as  far  east 
as  Lebanon;  it  was  humiliating  beyond  measure  to  the 
Unionists  of  the  State  and  lost  thousands  to  the  Union 
cause. 

The  Southern  leaders  were  at  once  advised  of  the  re 
tirement  of  the  Federal  Army,  and  the  Federal  rear-guard 
had  barely  left  Springfield  when  General  McCulloch's 
cavalry  advanced  rapidly  from  Cross  Hollow,  Arkansas, 
and  occupied  the  town,  and  General  Price  immediately 
about-faced  the  Army  of  Missouri  and  moved  forward, 
advancing  as  far  north  as  Osceola  on  the  Osage  River, 
where  he  proposed  to  spend  the  winter  recruiting  and 
sending  expeditions  north  to  the  Missouri  River  to  assist 
bodies  of  recruits  from  the  northern  part  of  the  State  to 
join  him,  all  of  which  had  a  depressing  effect  not  only 
among  the  Unionists  of  Missouri,  but  also  among  the 
Indians  of  the  Indian  Territory  who  were  friendly  to  the 
Ufriion  cause;  they  could  not  understand  such  a  vacillating 
policy  of  the  Government;  it  impressed  them  with  its 
weakness  and  indecision. 

General  McCulloch's  cavalry  occupied  Springfield  only 
a  short  time  and  then  retired  to  northwest  Arkansas,  and 
as  his  command  was  designed  mainly  for  operations  in 
the  Indian  Territory,  and  as  the  retirement  of  the  Union 
Army  from  Springfield  and  Southwest  Missouri  was 
heralded  among  the  Indians  as  a  great  Southern  victory, 
he  was  free  to  use  any  part  of  his  force  he  desired,  in 
co-operation  with  the  Indian  regiments  raised  for  Con 
federate  service,  to  bring  to  terms  any  recalcitrant  Indians 
of  the  factions  of  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees  who  were 
holding  out  against  joining  their  destinies  with  the  Con 
federacy. 

After  a  few  days  at  Springfield,  General  McCulloch 
reported  to  the  Confederate  Secretary  of  War  on  Novem 
ber  19th,  that  the  Federal  Army  had  retired  from  South 
west  Missouri,  and  that  he  proposed  to  return  to  Ar 
kansas,  put  his  troops  in  winter  quarters  at  Cross  Hollow, 


38  \The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Fayetteville  and  Van  Buren,  and  ask  permission  to  come  to 
Richmond,  the  new  capital  of  the  Confederacy,  to  give  the 
Administration  correct  information  in  regard  to  conditions 
in  that  region  before  it  took  further  action,  leaving  the 
command  of  his  division  with  Colonel  James  Mclntosh 
who  had  been  an  officer  in  the  Regular  Army  prior  to 
resigning  his  commission  and  transferring  his  allegiance 
to  the  Confederacy;  his  request  to  visit  Richmond  was 
granted. 

Colonel  Douglas  H.  Cooper,  who  had  raised  the  First 
Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  Mounted  Rifles,  had  been  placed 
in  command  of  the  Indian  Department,  with  the  regiments 
he  had  been  authorized  to  raise  in  the  Indian  tribes  of  the 
Territory,  reported  to  the  Confederate  Secretary  of  War, 
that  having  exhausted  every  means  in  his  power  to  secure 
an  interview  with  Hopoeithleyohola,  the  disaffected  Chief 
of  the  Creek  Nation,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  the  dif 
ficulty  between  his  faction  and  the  faction  that  had  es 
poused  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy,  and  finding  that  his 
overtures  were  treated  with  silence  or  contempt;  and  also 
finding  that  the  Chief  had,  for  some  time,  been  correspond 
ing  with  the  Federal  authorities  in  Kansas,  if  not  in  al 
liance  with  them,  determined  to  advance  upon  him  with 
sufficient  force  to  compel  submission  or  drive  him  from 
the  country.  Colonel  Cooper  therefore  collected  and 
concentrated  at  once  for  operation  against  the  defiant 
Creek  Chief  the  available  men  of  the  Choctaw  and  Chick 
asaw  Mounted  Rifles,  Colonel  Mclntosh's  regiment  Creek 
Mounted  Rifles,  Colonel  Drew's  regiment  Cherokee 
Mounted  Rifles,  and  Colonel  Quail's  regiment  Fourth  Texas 
Cavalry,  an  effective  force  of  fourteen  hundred  men,  and 
advanced  up  the  Deep  Fork  of  the  Canadian  River  to  at 
tack  the  camp  of  Hopoeithleyohola's  forces,  which  had 
been  located. 

On  arrival  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Chief's  camp  Colonel 
Cooper  found  that  it  had  been  abandoned,  and  that  the 
Indians  had  retired  to  Red  Fork  of  the  Arkansas  River, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  39 

en  route  to  Kansas,  and  soon  finding  their  trail,  pushed 
on  to  overtake  them,  and  in  the  afternoon  of  November 
19th  came  in  sight  of  the  smoke  of  their  camp,  and  a 
few  of  their  scouts,  who  were  driven  in. 

A  charge  was  made  upon  their  camp  by  the  Texas 
troops  and  it  was  found  to  have  been  recently  deserted, 
and  that  Hopoeithleyohola's  forces  had  retired  to  a  creek 
skirted  with  timber  some  four  miles  beyond ;  the  Southern 
forces  pursued  the  scouts  to  the  timber  and  were  fired 
upon  as  they  came  within  range  by  the  Indians  concealed 
therein,  killing  and  wounding  several  men.  The  Indians 
then  came  out  upon  the  prairie  in  large  numbers,  estimated 
at  twelve  hundred,  and  threatening  by  their  movements 
to  outflank  and  surround  the  Confederates,  who  hastily 
retreated  in  the  direction  of  their  main  body,  pursued 
by  Hopoeithleyohola's  warriors  in  a  running  fight,  in 
which  there  were  a  few  casualties  on  both  sides. 

Colonel  Cooper  re-enforced  his  retreating  troops  with 
the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  regiment,  and  having  formed 
a  new  line,  opened  a  hot  fire  upon  Hopoeithleyohola's 
warriors  as  they  came  up  within  range,  and  after  a  short 
engagement  in  which  rifle  firing  became  quite  heavy, 
darkness  fell  upon  the  combatants,  making  it  impossible 
for  either  side  to  follow  the  movements  of  the  other,  be 
sides  incurring  the  danger  of  either  side  firing  upon  its 
own  men.  Under  these  conditions  the  combatants  of  both 
sides  withdrew  to  their  respective  camps,  the  Confederates 
to  renew  the  fight  the  next  morning  and  Hopoeithleyohola's 
warriors  to  retreat  in  the  direction  of  Kansas.  He  did 
not,  however,  consider  he  had  suffered  a  decisive  defeat, 
and  at  once  collected  the  warriors  of  his  nation,  and  with 
some  Cherokees,  to  the  number  estimated  at  twenty-five 
hundred  men  in  all,  on  Bird's  Creek,  near  Tulsa,  a  strong 
position,  and  proposed  to  attack  Colonel  Cooper's  forces 
when  they  approached  near  enough  to  do  so  with  ad 
vantage. 


40  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

The  position  taken  up  by  Hopoeithleyohola  was 
known  as  Chusto-tahlasah,  and  was  difficult  for  Colonel 
Cooper's  forces  to  approach.  It  was  in  the  bend  of  the 
Creek,  too  deep  to  be  forded  except  in  places  known  only 
to  the  loyal  Indians,  and  the  bend  was  densely  covered 
with  timber,  undergrowth  and  thicket^,  impossible  for 
mounted  troops  to  pass  through  in  battle  formation. 

The  bend  of  the  creek,  or  toe  of  the  horse  shoe,  made 
up  to  the  prairie  on  the  side  approached  by  the  Southern 
forces,  and  on  that  side  there  was  a  precipitous  bluff  or 
bank  some  thirty  feet  high.  Inside  of  the  bend,  within 
rifle  range  of  the  opposite  bank  or  bluff,  Hopoeithleyo- 
hola's  warriors  had  constructed  breastworks  of  logs,  from 
behind  which  they  kept  up  a  hot  fire  when  the  Southern 
forces  came  within  range. 

Making  disposition  of  his  forces,  Colonel  Cooper 
brought  forward  to  make  the  attack  on  the  position  the 
effective  men  of  five  regiments;  the  Choctaw  and  Chicka- 
saw  regiment,  the  Creek  regiment,  the  Cherokee  regi 
ment,  and  the  two  Texas  regiments,  and  on  driving  in 
the  scouts  of  the  Union  Indians,  opened  the  fight,  which 
lasted  about  four  hours,  ending  with  darkness,  when  the 
Confederate  forces,  having  suffered  heavy  losses  in 
killed  and  wounded,  retreated  to  their  camp  to  prepare 
for  further  operations  the  next  morning. 

In  his  report  of  the  battle  of  Chusto-tahlasah,  Colonel 
Cooper  stated  his  losses  at  fifteen  killed  and  thirty-seven 
wounded;  but  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  his  charging 
columns  and  hand  to  hand  conflicts  of  his  dismounted  men 
with  a  foe  estimated  at  2,500  men  that  had  all  the  ad 
vantages  of  position  and  delivered  its  fire  from  impene 
trable  thickets  and  from  behind  breastworks  of  logs,  for 
four  hours,  could  happen  with  such  insignificant  results. 
There  was  no  report  of  the  losses  of  Hopoeithleyohola's 
Indians;  but  they  were  probably  less  than  the  Confederate 
losses,  from  the  fact  that  the  losses  of  the  assaulting 
force  is  always  heavier  than  the  losses  of  the  force  that 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  41 

fights  from  behind  breastworks  and  from  concealed  posi 
tions  like  the  warriors  of  Hopoeithleyohola.  The  next  day 
after  the  battle  Colonel  Cooper  sent  out  a  regiment  to 
make  a  reconnoissance  of  the  position  of  the  Union  In 
dians,  and  it  was  discovered  that  they  had  abandoned  it 
on  the  creek  and  retired  into  the  mountains,  taking 
with  them  their  families  and  live  stock,  horses  and  cattle, 
and  other  belongings,  so  that  neither  side  could  claim  any 
decisive  advantage  from  the  contest. 

It  was  probably  evident  to  Hopoeithleyohola  that 
Colonel  Cooper  would  shortly  be  re-enforced  by  other  white 
regiments  of  Texas  and  Arkansas  troops,  who  were  better 
armed  and  equipped  and  disciplined  than  his  own  warriors, 
and  that  under  such  conditions  it  would  be  more  prudent 
for  him  to  retire  with  his  people  into  a  more  inaccessible 
region  where  further  offensive  operations  of  his  enemy 
would  be  made  much  more  difficult,  if  not  indeed  im 
practicable  at  that  season  of  the  year  with  winter  close 
at  hand  and  far  away  from  their  supplies.  It  does  not 
appear  that  in  all  these  operations  Hopoeithleyohola  had 
the  advice  and  counsel  of  a  representative  of  the  Govern 
ment  with  him,  or  his  white  friends  from  Kansas.  De 
pending  upon  his  own  resources,  therefore,  it  would 
certainly  appear  that  he  made  a  remarkably  good  showing, 
particularly  when  it  is  considered  that  he  had  pitted 
against  him  the  wit  and  intelligence  of  the  best  men  the 
Confederate  Government  could  find  in  the  West  who 
were  familiar  with  the  situation,  and  with  large  resources 
of  men  and  supplies  at  their  command. 

At  the  time  it  was  admitted  by  the  Confederate  Gov 
ernment  that  a  contingent  of  white  troops  among  the 
Indians  had  a  stimulating  effect  with  them  in  carrying  out 
proposed  offensive  operations.  Without  such  contingent 
of  white  troops  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  could  have  found 
enough  Cherokees  and  Creeks  to  have  effective  military 
organizations  for  operations  against  the  Government  that 
was  at  perfect  peace  with  them  and  which  had  been  paying 


42  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

them  regularly  their  annuities.  They  knew  that  if  the 
Government  was  successful  in  maintaining  its  integrity,, 
that  their  treaty  relations  with  it,  which  were  satisfactory,, 
would  continue  as  in  the  past,  and  they  could  not  see  how 
their  condition  would  be  improved  by  breaking  treaty 
relations  with  it  and  joining  the  Confederacy,  for  it  was 
not  threatening  them  in  any  manner  by  sending  troops 
among  them  against  their  wishes;  nor  was  it  threatening 
to  withhold  their  annuities  on  account  of  the  war;  very 
few  of  them  owned  slaves;  most  of  them  were  opposed 
to  slavery,  and  they  could  not  see  their  interests  were 
with  the  South. 

General  McCulloch  had  gone  to  Richmond  to  correctly 
inform  the  Confederate  Government  in  regard  to  affairs 
in  Western  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory,  leaving 
Colonel  Mclntosh  in  command  with  headquarters  at  Van 
Buren,  on  account  of  an  outbreak  of  smallpox  at  Fort 
Smith,  the  regular  headquarters.  Colonel  Cooper  having 
advised  him  of  the  situation  in  the  Indian  country  after 
the  battle  of  Chusto-tahlasah,  Colonel  Mclntosh  de 
termined  to  win  military  glory  in  the  absence  of  the  chief, 
McCulloch,  before  winter  set  in,  by  prosecuting  further 
operations  against  Hopoeithleyohola,  who  was  still  assum 
ing  a  hostile  attitude. 

He  therefore  took  from  the  mounted  troops  of  his 
division  of  Arkansas  and  Texas  volunteers.  1,600  men  and 
marched  hastily  to  Fort  Gibson,  where  he  had  an  inter 
view  with  Colonel  Cooper  and  agreed  upon  a  plan  of  cam 
paign,  promising  co-operation  with  each  other  in  their 
operations  against  the  enemy  Indians. 

In  pursuance  of  their  plan  of  operations,  they  left 
Fort  Gibson  December  22d,  to  open  a  vigorous  campaign 
against  the  enemy.  Colonel  Cooper  marched  up  the  north 
side  of  the  Arkansas  River  to  get  in  the  rear  of  Hopoeith- 
leyohola's  forces  on  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Verdigris 
River,  near  the  Big  Bend  of  the  Airkansas?  while  Colonel 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  43 

Mclntosh  marched  up  the  Verdigris  River  opposite  to  the 
position  of  the  hostile  Indians. 

They   then    moved   forward    with   four   days    cooked 
rations  to  attack  the  enemy  in  the  strong  position  running 
back   among   the   mountains   into   the   Big   Bend   of   the 
Arkansas,  and,  about  noon  of  the  26th  of  December,  after 
his  advance  company  had  crossed  Shoal  Creek,  a  heavy 
and  continuous  fire  was  opened  upon  it  by  enemy  warriors. 
The  company  maintained  its  position,  however,  until  it  was 
re-enforced  by  Colonel  Griffith's  Texas  regiment    moving 
up  to  the  right,  and  Colonel  Young's  Texas  regiment  mov 
ing  up  to  the  left,  while  Colonel  Lane's  Texas  regiment 
and  the  Second  regiment  Arkansas  Mounted  Rifles  and 
some   mounted   detachments   composed   the   center.      The 
whole  force  then  moved  forward  and  crossed  the  stream 
in  the  face  of  the  fire  of  the  hostile  Indians  posted  to 
the  right  on  a  high  rugged  hill,  with  the  sides  covered 
with  timber,  from  which  they  observed  every  movement  of 
the  attacking  forces.     Hopoeithleyohola's  Indian  warriors 
fought  from  behind  trees  and  rocks  and  poured  a  heavy 
rifle  fire  into  the  ranks  of  the  advancing  Confederates 
the  moment  they  came  in  range  and  with   such  deadly 
effect  that  Colonel  Mclntosh  ordered  part  of  his  command 
to  dismount  and  charge  on  foot  up  the  hill  and  on  that 
part  of  the  field  where  the  enemy  Indians  were  inacces 
sible  to  his  mounted  troops.    After  the  fighting  had  lasted 
until  four  o'clock,  Mclntosh's  troops  succeeded  in  driving 
them  from  their  position  back  into  the  gorges  and  deep 
recesses    of    the    mountains,    which    compelled    them    to 
abandon  their  camp,  with  the  loss  of  considerable  property, 
consisting  of  wagons,  oxen,  ponies,  cattle  and  sheep,  be 
sides   one  hundred   and   sixty   women   and   children   and 
twenty  negroes,   which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Con 
federate  forces. 

The  Confederate  forces  camped  on  the  battle  field  that 
night  and  the  next  day  Colonel  Mclntosh  ordered  pursuit 
of  the  loyal  Indians,  and  after  a  hard  march  of  twenty- 
five  miles,  overtook  their  rear  guard  and  captured  and 


44  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

burned  two  wagons.  This  action  closed  the  campaign 
against  the  loyal  Indians  for  the  winter.  Colonel  Mcln- 
tosh  returned  to  the  headquarters  of  his  division  at  Van 
Buren  in  a  blaze  of  glory  and  as  conquering  hero.  He 
called  the  battle  with  Hopoeithleyohola  "Chustenahla,"  and 
reported  his  losses  nine  killed  and  forty  wounded,  and  the 
enemy  losses  much  larger. 

Severe  winter  weather  at  once  set  in  and  the  loyal 
Indians  having  lost  nearly  everything  in  the  way  of  food 
supplies,  clothing  and  transportation,  endured  almost  in 
describable  suffering  on  their  march  to  Southern  Kansas, 
some  of  them  having  frozen  to  death. 


CHAPTER  III 

SOUTHERN  INDIANS  TAKE  PART  IN  BATTLE  OF~ 
PEA  RIDGE 

The  battle  of  Chustenahla,  Cherokee  Nation,  was  fought 
without  the  participation  of  the  forces  under  Colonel  Cooper 
that  had  marched  up  on  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas 
River.  Colonel  Cooper  reported  that  this  was  on  account  of 
the  desertion  of  the  teamsters  of  his  train,  in  consequence  of 
which  he  was  unable  to  bring  up  his  command  in  time  to  join 
in  the  engagement.  This  was  a  lucky  happening  for  Colonel 
Mclntosh,  which  relieved  him  of  the  courtesy  of  dividing 
the  honor  and  glory  of  his  achievement  with  the  commander 
of  the  Indian  Department. 

There  is  no  doubt,  however,  but  that  this  campaign 
against  Hopoeithleyohola's  followers  from  the  Creek,  Chero 
kee  and  Seminole  Nations,  in  defense  of  their  homes,  from 
which  they  were  driven  in  mid  winter,  brought  upon  them 
and  their  families  almost  indescribable  suffering.  After  his 
arrival  with  his  people  in  Kansas,  he  dictated  a  letter  to  the 
President  in  two  or  three  weeks  after  the  battle  in  which 
he  stated  that  his  people  had  lost  everything  they  possessed ; 
that  many  of  them  had  frozen  to  death  in  their  retreat  dur 
ing  the  severe  cold  over  the  snow-covered  ground;  that 
there  were  then  six  thousand  women  and  children  of  his 
nation  in  Southern  Kansas,  scantily  clothed  and  exposed  to 
the  cold  of  a  severe  winter ;  that  their  Agents  had  done  and 
were  doing  all  they  could  to  relieve  them,  but  that  they 
wished  to  be  restored  to  their  comfortable  homes  in  their 
own  country  as  soon  as  practicable. 

This  large  number  of  refugee  Indian  families  who  had 
sought  safety,  food,  clothing  and  shelter  in  Southern  Kan 
sas,  on  account  of  their  devotion  to  the  Government,  aroused 
a  deep  sympathy  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  the  new 
State  when  their  presence  became  known,  and  arrangements 
were  speedily  made  for  feeding,  clothing  and  sheltering  them 

45 


46  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

as  comfortably  as  possible  under  the  circumstances.  The 
counties  west  of  the  second  tier  of  counties  were  thinly 
settled — in  fact,  all  the  counties  along  the  southern  border 
of  the  State  were  thinly  settled,  but  the  settled  part  of  the 
state  had  raised  good  crops  the  past  year  and  there  was 
an  abundance  of  food  at  reasonable  prices  to  be  had  for 
feeding  the  hungry  multitude  until  spring,  when  it  was 
hoped  that  the  Government  would  send  an  expedition  of 
several  thousand  men  into  the  Indian  country  to  restore  the 
refugees  to  their  homes  and  afford  them  adequate  protec 
tion  against  the  factions  who  were  adhering  to  the  cause 
of  the  South. 

General  Henry  W.  Halleck  had  relieved  General  Fre 
mont  of  the  command  of  the  Department  of  Missouri  and 
commenced  immediately  to  reorganize  in  a  systematic  man 
ner  the  forces  of  his  department  for  an  active,  aggressive, 
mid-winter  campaign,  and  did  not  propose  to  wait  until 
spring  to  commence  operations.  About  the  time  these  In 
dians  were  driven  from  their  homes  and  pursued  by  the 
enemy  almost  to  Kansas,  the  General  was  preparing  a  cam 
paign  and  commenced  concentrating  his  forces  at  Lebanon, 
fifty-six  miles  northeast  of  Springfield,  under  the  immediate 
command  of  Brigadier  General  Samuel  R.  Curtis,  to  drive 
General  Price's  forces,  then  at  Springfield,  out  of  South 
west  Missouri,  a  movemen"  which,  if  successful,  would  clear 
Missouri  of  secessionists,  and  have  a  very  important  bear 
ing  on  operations  in  the  Indian  Territory  and  of  heartening 
those  who  were  in  sympathy  with  the  Union  cause.  A 
large  part  of  the  army  that  had  retired  from  Springfield 
to  Rolla  and  Sedalia  in  November  when  Fremont  was  re 
lieved,  was  being  concentrated  for  this  movement  under 
General  Curtis.  General  Price  became  alarmed  at  the 
threatened  danger  to  his  position  at  Osceola,  on  the  Osage, 
and  he  hastily  withdrew  and  was  at  Springfield  on  the 
23d  of  December,  1861,  appealing  to  Colonel  Mclntosh,  who 
was  left  in  command  of  General  McCuiloch's  division  in  his 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War  47 

absence,  for  assistance  in  repelling  the  threatened  attack 
of  the  Federal  forces.  He  was  thus  vividly  reminded  that 
his  triumphant  march  to  the  Osage  was  associated  with  as 
little  glory  as  the  temporary  occupation  of  Southwest  Mis 
souri  by  Fremont's  army  in  November;  both  armies  having 
marched  up  the  hill  and  then  marched  down  again. 

The  second  call  of  President  Lincoln  for  six  hundred 
thousand  men  was  being  rapidly  filled  by  the  governors  of 
the  several  states  furnishing  their  quotas  of  troops.  The 
Government  at  Washington  was  waking  up  and  becoming 
fully  alive  to  the  blunders  that  had  been  made  in  Missouri, 
and  under  the  direction  of  General  Halleck  was  preparing  for 
an  aggressive  campaign  to  start  in  the  early  part  of  Jan 
uary,  that  would  force  the  secessionists  under  Price  then  at 
Springfield  out  of  the  state.  While  General  Curtis  was 
concentrating  his  divisions  at  Lebanon  for  operations 
against  Price,  General  David  Hunter  had  been  assigned  to 
the  command  of  the  Department  of  Kansas,  including  the 
Indian  Territory  west  of  Arkansas,  was  concentrating  the 
troops  of  his  department,  numbering  some  five  or  six  thou 
sand  men,  at  Fort  Scott  for  operations  in  the  Indian  coun 
try,  to  co-operate  with  the  forces  of  Halleck  under  Curtis 
in  the  advance  southward.  There  was  a  fair  prospect,  if 
no  serious  blunders  were  made,  that  the  Union  forces  would 
sweep  the  Southern  forces  not  only  out  of  Missouri  and  the 
northern  part  of  the  Indian  Territory,  but  far  into  Arkan 
sas  and  the  Indian  country,  perhaps  beyond  the  Boston 
Mountains  to  the  Arkansas  River,  leaving  the  country  to 
be  occupied  by  the  Federal  forces  before  the  close  of  the 
campaign. 

At  Springfield,  General  Price  organized  several  bri 
gades  of  troops  out  of  the  State  Guard  forces  for  the  Con 
federate  service,  which  gave  him  a  Major  General's  com 
mission  in  that  service.  Early  in  January  the  Confederate 
Government  assigned  Major  General  Van  Dorn  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  District,  which  included  all 


48  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.. 

of  Louisiana  north  of  Red  River,  all  of  Arkansas  except 
the  tract  of  country  east  of  the  St.  Francois  River  border 
ing  on  the  Mississippi  River ;  the  State  of  Missouri  and  the 
Indian  Territory  west  of  Arkansas  and  south  of  Kansas. 
President  Davis  had  called  on  the  governors  of  the  states 
forming  the  Confederacy  to  furnish  their  quotas  of  troops 
under  a  recent  call,  and  Indian  Commissioner  Albert  Pike 
had  been  appointed  Brigadier  General  of  the  Provisional 
Army  to  organize  and  command  the  Indian  troops  raised  in 
the  Indian  Territory  for  the  Confederate  service,  and  every 
thing  indicated  that  General  Van  Dorn  was  preparing  for 
an  aggessive  campaign.  He  issued  orders  from  his  head 
quarters  at  Pocahontas  and  Little  Rock  for  the  troops  of 
his  command  in  the  western  part  of  Arkansas  to  concen 
trate  at  Fayetteville  and  Cross  Hollow,  and  for  the  Indian 
troops  under  General  Pike  to  concentrate  in  the  Indian  Ter 
ritory  near  the  State  line  and  to  be  in  readiness  to  co 
operate  with  the  Confederate  army  in  any  movement  when 
it  was  ready  to  advance  northward  into  Missouri  and  Kansas. 

The  forward  movement  of  the  Union  forces  in  Mis 
souri  under  General  Halleck  commanding  the  Department, 
commenced  in  January,  and  had  for  its  purpose  the  driv 
ing  of  the  secession  forces  under  General  Price  at  Spring 
field  out  of  the  state  and  to  pursue  them  until  they  were 
completely  disorganized  or  brought  to  an  engagement. 
While  this  movement  was  going  on  there  were  concentrated 
at  Fort  Scott  several  thousand  troops  of  the  Department 
of  Kansas  under  General  Hunter,  designed  to  operate  on  the 
right  flank  of  the  Army  of  the  Southwest  under  General 
Curtis,  but  on  account  of  a  controversy  between  General 
Hunter  and  General  Lane  as  to  who  should  command  the 
expedition  these  troops  did  not  move  forward  in  co-operation 
with  Curtis. 

Hunter  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  a  Regular  Army 
officer,  a  Major  General  in  the  Volunteer  Army  and  had  the 
confidence  of  the  President.  On  the  admission  of  the  new 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  49 

state  of  Kansas  to  the  Union  the  legislature  had  elected 
James  H.  Lane  a  United  States  senator,  and  as  he  had  been 
active  on  the  side  of  the  free  state  men  during  the  Mis 
souri-Kansas  troubles,  President  Lincoln  was  willing  to 
oblige  him  and  appointed  him  brigadier  general,  advising 
him,  however,  that  he  would  be  subject  to  the  orders  of 
General  Hunter  in  the  proposed  campaign  into  the  Indian 
country.  But,  without  resigning  as  United  States  senator, 
he  was  in  a  short  time  after  his  appointment  as  brigadier 
general  exercising  authority  of  the  department  commander 
without  consulting  the  latter,  thus  causing  confusion  and 
paralyzing  the  movement  which  had  been  widely  adver 
tised  as  "Lane's  Expedition  into  the  Indian  country  south 
of  Kansas,"  an  expedition  which  he  knew  he  could  not  con 
trol  and  had  no  intention  of  controlling.  Indeed,  he  had 
told  General  Hunter,  in  the  course  of  an  interview  between 
them,  that  he  had  not  accepted  his  commission  as  brigadier 
general,  and  was  only  visiting  Hunter  as  a  senator  and  mem 
ber  of  the  Military  Committee  of  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States. 

Early  in  March,  1862,  there  was  a  general  re-organiza 
tion  of  the  Kansas  regiments  on  a  more  rational  basis  than 
had  existed  up  to  that  time.  Some  of  the  regiments  had 
been  raised  as  part  cavalry  and  part  infantry,  and  in  some 
companies  of  several  regiments  part  of  the  men  claimed 
that  they  were  enlisted  for  Home  Guard  service  and  re 
fused  to  go  out  of  the  state,  while  their  officers  persisted 
that  they  had  enlisted  for  three  years  or  during  the  war  in 
the  volunteer  army  the  same  as  the  other  men  in  the  com 
panies  who  were  not  complaining  of  being  deceived  as  to  the 
kind  of  service  they  would  be  required  to  perform.  Among 
the  discontented  men  there  were  many  unfit  for  military 
service  on  account  of  age  or  other  disabilities.  In  some 
companies  there  were  enough  discontented  men  who  claimed 
they  were  enlisted  for  Home  Guard  service  to  become  al 
most  mutinous,  and  their  representations  were  taken  up  by 


50  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

higher  authority  to  the  Department  Commander  and  the 
Secretary  of  War,  and  the  companies  having  the  discon 
tented  men  were  ordered  mustered  out  and  broken  up.  In 
the  Sixth  Kansas  Volunteers,  three  companies  of  infantry 
were  mustered  out,  and  the  remaining  companies  of  cavalry 
were  organized  as  a  cavalry  regiment  and  filled  up  by  trans 
ferring  to  it  cavalry  companies  from  the  Fourth  and  Fifth 
regiments,  which  had  mostly  infantry  companies  that  were 
transferred  to  the  newly  organized  Tenth  Kansas  Infantry ; 
the  Third  and  Fourth  regiments,  Kansas  Volunteers,  that 
had  mostly  infantry  companies,  were  broken  up  and  the 
men  mustered  out  and  transferred  to  other  regiments.  The 
new  organizations  received  new  arms  and  equipments  appro 
priate  to  the  arm  of  the  service  into  which  they  were  mus 
tered,  to  take  part  in  the  campaign  that  was  being  prepared 
to  advance  into  the  Indian  country. 

There  was  now  concentrated  at  Fort  Scott  for  the  pro 
posed  expedition  into  the  Indian  country  the  following  regi 
ments  :  Cavalry — Third  Wisconsin,  Colonel  William  A.  Bar- 
stow;  Second  Ohio,  Colonel  Charles  Doubleday;  Sixth  Kan 
sas,  Colonel  William  R.  Judson ;  Ninth  Kansas,  Colonel  Ed 
ward  Lynde ;  Infantry — Ninth  Wisconsin,  Colonel  Frederick 
Salomon;  Twelfth  Wisconsin,  Colonel  George  E.  Bryant; 
Thirteenth  Wisconsin,  Colonel  Maurice  Malony;  First  Kan 
sas,  Colonel  George  W.  Deitzler ;  Tenth  Kansas,  Colonel  Wil 
liam  Weer ;  Batteries — First  Kansas,  Captain  Norman  Allen ; 
Second  Indiana,  Captain  J.  W.  Rabb,  all  under  the  temporary 
command  of  acting  brigadier  general  George  W.  Deitzler, 
who  had  been  severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Wilson 
Creek  while  gallantly  leading  his  regiment,  the  First  Kan 
sas  Infantry.  Before  the  expedition  was  ready  to  move 
south,  however,  the  following  regiments  were  ordered  to 
other  points :  The  First  Kansas  Infantry  and  the  Twelfth 
and  Thirteenth  Wisconsin  Infantry  to  West  Tennessee,  for 
operations  against  the  enemy  in  that  region.  In  the  mean 
time  the  Army  of  the  Southwest  which  had  concentrated 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  51 

at  Lebanon,  Missouri,  under  General  Curtis,  moved  forward 
and  attacked  and  drove  General  Price's  Southern  forces 
from  Springfield;  pursued  them  vigorously  and  attacked 
them  at  every  place  where  they  made  a  stand;  at  Crane 
Creek,  Cross  Hollow  and  Fayetteville,  Arkansas,  until  they 
were  driven  into  the  Boston  Mountains. 

By  this  time  General  Van  Dorn  had  arrived  and  as 
sumed  command  of  the  combined  Southern  forces  under 
Generals  Price,  McCulloch  and  Pike,  reported  at  the  time 
to  be  about  25,000  men,  including  Indian  auxiliaries.  After 
some  reorganization  and  refitting  and  bringing  up  General 
Pike's  forces  of  Indians  and  Texans,  on  his  left  flank,  and 
some  speech  making  at  which  the  speakers  told  the  soldiers 
what  they  were  going  to  do  to  the  foe  who  had  thus  in 
vaded  the  soil  of  Arkansas,  General  Van  Dorn  ordered  his 
army  to  about  face  and  march  to  meet  and  attack  the  Fed 
eral  forces  in  their  strong  position  on  Sugar  Creek,  on  the 
Wire  Road,  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Fayetteville. 

General  Curtis  was  kept  accurately  informed  of  the 
movements  of  the  Southern  forces,  by  his  scouts  and  spies 
and  by  Union  citizens  coming  into  his  lines  from  the  terri 
tory  occupied  by  the  enemy.  He  had  thrown  forward  de 
tachments  from  different  divisions,  covering  about  twenty- 
five  miles  of  his  front,  from  Huntsville  to  Osage  Mills,  and 
he  withdrew  them  just  in  time  to  prevent  their  capture, 
some  of  them  being  obliged  to  conduct  a  retreating  fight 
to  safely  reach  his  position  on  Sugar  Creek.  This  position 
he  strengthened  by  felling  trees  over  the  roads  on  his  flanks, 
which  might  otherwise  be  easily  turned,  when  he  found 
that  Van  Dorn  was  advancing  to  attack  him. 

When  the  Confederate  plan  of  battle  was  communicated 
at  the  grand  council  of  war,  which  consisted  principally  of 
Generals  Van  Dorn,  Price,  McCulloch,  Mclntosh  and  Pike, 
they  felt  so  certain  of  success,  so  certain  of  capturing  the 
Federal  army  in  its  position  on  Sugar  Creek  that  they  de 
termined  to  push  forward  their  forces  by  rapid  marches  on 


52  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

two  roads,  the  Wire  Road  from  Fayetteville  to  Springfield, 
which  would  bring  the  column  on  that  road  directly  in  front 
of  the  Federal  position,  and  the  column  on  the  other  road, 
the  Bentonville  Road,  led  by  Price's  Army,  to  a  position 
several  miles  in  the  rear  of  the  Union  Army  on  the  Wire 
Road,  thus  cutting  off  every  avenue  of  its  retreat.  The 
retreating  fight  of  General  Sigel's  Federal  division  on  the 
6th  of  March  from  Bentonville  to  Sugar  Creek  developed 
the  intention  of  the  Confederate  commanders,  for,  having 
pursued  Sigel  on  that  road  until  he  formed  a  junction  with 
Curtis  on  his  extreme  right  at  dark,  Generals  Van  Dorn 
and  Price  halted  their  troops  an  hour  or  so  that  their  men 
and  animals  might  be  refreshed  with  rest  and  food,  after 
which  the  march  was  resumed  on  the  Bentonville  Road  with 
the  design  of  reaching  the  Wire  Road  in  the  rear  of  the 
Federal  Army  before  daylight.  But  the  large  and  small 
trees  felled  across  the  Bentonville  Road  under  General  Cur 
tis'  instructions  had  so  obstructed  it  that  the  Confederate 
forces  were  kept  at  work  and  marking  time  nearly  all  night 
to  remove  the  obstructions  so  that  the  artillery,  troops  and 
trains  could  pass  and  be  in  position  to  open  the  battle  early 
the  next  morning. 

To  keep  in  touch  with  the  Confederate  forces  during 
the  night  General  Curtis  sent  out  mounted  detachments  on 
both  flanks  to  observe  their  movements.  The  officers  of 
some  of  these  detachments  returned  to  the  General's  head 
quarters  during  the  night  and  reported  that  they  had  heard 
the  movement  of  troops,  artillery  and  trains  on  the  Benton 
ville  Road.  Early  the  next  morning  the  General  sent  out 
a  mounted  force  supported  by  infantry  and  a  section  of 
artillery  on  the  Wire  Road  to  make  a  reconnoissance  on 
that  road  as  far  north  as  its  intersection  with  the  Benton 
ville  Road.  Before  reaching  that  point,  however,  it  came 
in  contact  with  a  strong  force  of  Price's  army  supported 
by  artillery,  which  compelled  it  to  retire  fighting  until  it 
received  re-enforcements  near  Elkhorn  Tavern,  by  which 
name  the  battle  is  as  well  known  as  that  of  Pea  Ridge. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  53 

General  Curtis  was  at  once  informed  of  the  situation 
and  sent  Colonel  Carr's  division  to  re-enforce  the  reconnois- 
sance,  and  ordered  a  change  of  front  to  the  rear  of  his  entire 
line,  and  instead  of  facing  south  behind  the  precipitous 
bluffs  of  Sugar  Creek,  he  was  facing  north  and  east  and 
fought  the  battle  out  on  the  changed  front  with  the  enemy 
who  had  gained  his  rear.  The  battle  now  joined  from  right 
to  left  on  the  Federal  front  and  raged  furiously  during  the 
day,  and  when  darkness  intervened  the  Federal  right  under 
Colonel  Carr  had  been  forced  back  several  miles  with  heavy 
casualties,  and  he  was  obliged  to  yield  to  the  enemy  Elkhorn 
Tavern  and  the  heavily  timbered  tract  of  probably  one  hun 
dred  acres  southwest  of  the  Tavern  and  west  of  the  Fayette- 
ville  or  Wire  Road. 

General  Curtis  had  thrown  in  his  reserves  on  his  right 
to  check  the  advancing  foe,  and  the  situation  would  have 
appeared  discouraging  and  almost  hopeless  had  not  his  left, 
under  Colonels  Jeff  C.  Davis  and  P.  J.  Osterhaus,  in  a  fierce 
assault  smashed  and  completely  demoralized  the  Confed 
erate  right  under  Generals  McCulloch,  Mclntosh,  Pike  and 
Hebert,  during  which  McCulloch  and  Mclntosh  were  killed, 
and  Hebert  captured,  and  their  forces,  including  Pike's 
Indians,  were  driven  from  the  field.  This  success  on  his 
left  enabled  General  Curtis  after  darkness  fell  to  order 
most  of  the  troops  and  artillery  from  his  left,  to  re-enforce 
his  right  and  be  in  readiness  to  renew  the  struggle  the  next 
morning.  General  Van  Dorn  also  ordered  the  senior  officer 
commanding  McCulloch's  corps  and  General  Pike,  command 
ing  the  Indians,  to  gather  up  their  broken  and  demoralized 
troops,  except  a  force  sufficient  to  guard  and  protect  the 
train  which  had  been  brought  up  on  the  Bentonville  Road, 
and  march  to  his  assistance  during  the  night,  designating 
the  positions  they  should  take  up  near  the  Telegraph  Road. 

In  the  morning,  after  changing  front,  General  Curtis 
had  his  trains  parked  in  a  large  field  west  and  southwest 
of  the  heavily  timbered  tract  referred  to,  with  the  teams 


54  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

to  each  wagon  hitched  up  and  ready  to  move  at  a  moment's 
notice,  so  that  after  darkness  came  on  and  quiet  reigned 
over  the  field,  he  was  able  to  have  most  of  his  troops  and 
animals  furnished  with  food,  and  bivouacking  on  their  arms 
in  line,  his  men  had  refreshing  rest  during  the  night,  with 
pickets  in  front  to  observe  any  movement  of  the  enemy 
whose  lines  were  only  a  hundred  or  so  yards  distant,  Hav 
ing  had  all  arms  of  his  troops  furnished  with  an  ample  sup 
ply  of  ammunition,  General  Curtis  opened  the  attack  on  the 
enemy  early  the  next  morning,  and  in  a  few  moments  a 
fierce  artillery  action  was  on,  the  roaring  of  the  guns  be 
ing  heard  many  miles  distant  from  the  scene  of  conflict. 
Generals  Van  Dorn  and  Price  had  concentrated  most  of 
their  batteries  on  Pea  Ridge  Mountain,  about  half  a  mile 
north  of  Elkhorn,  overlooking  the  Federal  position,  and  fir 
ing  between  the  opposing  batteries  for  some  time  was  very 
heavy,  but  finally  the  Federal  guns  getting  the  range  of  the 
enemy  guns  on  the  mountain,  succeeded  in  driving  all  the 
batteries  from  their  positions,  killing  and  wounding  many 
of  the  battery  horses,  exploding  ammunition  chests,  knock 
ing  to  splinters  gun  carriages,  and  decapitating  Captain 
Clark,  commanding  one  of  the  most  famous  batteries  of  the 
enemy  and  causing  general  demoralization. 

While  General  Curtis'  batteries  on  the  left  were  engag 
ing  the  enemy  batteries  on  Pea  Ridge  Mountain,  his  bat 
teries  on  his  right  and  center  were  employed  in  shelling  the 
heavy  timbered  tract  in  front  of  Elkhorn  in  which  were 
massed  large  forces  of  Van  Dorn's  infantry.  Having  pre 
pared  the  way  for  his  infantry  on  his  left  to  ascend  Pea 
Ridge  Mountain  to  drive  the  enemy  from  their  position 
thereon,  he  then  advanced  his  right  and  center  and  soon 
became  engaged  in  a  fierce  conflict  with  the  enemy  who 
were  forced  gradually  back  on  both  sides  of  the  Springfield 
and  Fayetteville  Road  to  Elkhorn  Tavern  and  beyond,  when 
the  whole  Confederate  line  gave  way,  precipitating  the  ut- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  55 

most  excitement  and  confusion  in  all  parts  of  General  Van 
Dora's  Army,  which  became  disorganized  and  disintegrated 
into  detachments  fleeing  in  every  direction. 

In  the  last  hour  of  the  battle  the  report  got  out  among 
the  Confederate  troops  and  spread  rapidly  that  Generals 
Van  Dorn  and  Price  had  been  captured,  which  increased 
the  consternation  and  confusion,  and  General  Pike,  com 
manding  the  contingent  of  Indian  troops,  became  separated 
from  them,  and,  with  an  aid  and  three  or  four  men,  wan 
dered  two  or  three  days  in  the  woods  and  on  by-roads  in 
the  rough,  hilly  region  between  Elkhorn  and  Bentonville, 
and  finally  received  information  from  stragglers,  who  had 
fled  from  the  battlefield  on  the  Bentonville  Road,  that  a 
part  of  his  command  was  marching  to  Cincinnati  on  the 
Cherokee  line,  and  he  joined  them  at  that  place  and  they 
moved  into  the  Cherokee  Nation  and  then  south  and  crossed 
the  Arkansas  River,  many  of  the  Indians  having  thrown 
down  their  arms  and  returned  home.  When  the  general 
break-up  came,  Generals  Van  Dorn  and  Price  with  such 
forces  as  they  were  able  to  rally,  retired  several  miles  north 
east  on  the  Telegraph  Road  in  the  direction  of  Cassville, 
until  they  came  to  the  Huntsville  Road  and  then  turning 
sharply  to  the  right  marched  ten  to  fifteen  miles  and 
bivouacked  for  the  night,  after  which,  taking  the  nearest 
and  most  practicable  route  through  the  Boston  Mountains, 
arrived  at  Van  Buren  in  less  than  a  week,  where  the  Con 
federate  forces  were  reorganized  and  further  operations 
planned.  The  main  parts  of  the  troops  and  trains  of  Mc- 
Culloch's  and  Pike's  divisions  retreated  from  the  field  on 
the  Bentonville  Road  until  their  officers  received  instruc 
tions  to  march  to  concentration  points;  but  the  overthrow 
of  the  Confederate  forces  was  so  complete  that  aggressive 
operations  by  them  was  out  of  the  question  for  that  cam 
paign  in  that  region. 

General  Curtis  took  into  the  battle  about  10,500  men  of 
all  arms,  and  he  reported  his  losses  at  203  killed,  980 


56  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

wounded  and  201  missing;  but  there  should  be  added  to 
these  losses  two  officers  and  seven  men  killed  and  four 
officers  and  fifty-seven  men  wounded  of  Colonel  John  S. 
Phelps'  regiment,  Missouri  Volunteers,  that  took  a  con 
spicuous  part  in  the  battle. 

General  Van  Dorn  reported  his  effective  strength  at 
16,000  just  prior  to  going  into  battle  and  his  casualties  at 
800  to  1,000  killed  and  wounded  and  200  prisoners,  but  sub 
mitted  no  tabulated  statement  of  his  losses.  These  were 
probably  as  large  or  larger  than  the  Federal  casualties,  judg 
ing  from  the  number  of  general  officers  killed,  wounded  and 
captured. 

Had  the  Kansas  forces  of  five  or  six  thousand  men 
concentrated  at  Fort  Scott  for  operations  in  the  Indian  coun 
try  been  ordered  forward  on  the  right  of  General  Curtis 
and  in  co-operation  with  him  after  he  passed  Springfield 
in  the  pursuit  of  General  Price  in  his  retreat  to  the  Boston 
Mountains,  the  Confederate  army  under  General  Van  Dorn 
might  have  been  practically  destroyed  and  ended  further 
efforts  of  the  Southern  leaders  to  control  Missouri.  The 
bitter  fight  between  Senator  Lane  and  Governor  Robinson 
was,  no  doubt,  responsible  for  keeping  this  large  force  of 
well-equipped  troops,  except  part  of  the  Kansas  regiments, 
in  idleness  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Scott,  when  they 
were  much  needed  on  the  right  and  in  co-operation  with 
General  Curtis  during  his  advance  into  and  operations  in 
Southwest  Missouri  and  Northwest  Arkansas.  Clearly  there 
was  too  much  politics  injected  into  the  proposed  campaign 
and  into  the  reorganization  and  equipment  of  the  Kansas 
regiments  and  into  the  movement  of  the  well  equipped  troops 
from  other  states  concentrated  at  Fort  Scott  to  get  the  best 
results  out  of  the  resources  the  Government  had  staked  for 
a  definite  purpose.  This  mixing  of  politics  with  military 
operations  was  distasteful  to  General  Hunter,  and  on  March 
24th  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Southern  De 
partment,  which  included  operations  about  Savannah, 
Georgia. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War  57 

While  General  Van  Dorn  was  at  Van  Buren  he  ordered 
Colonel  Churchill  with  his  brigade  of  cavalry  to  march  from 
near  Clarksville  to  Forsyth,  on  White  River,  Missouri,  and 
thence  to  Springfield  to  destroy  General  Curtis'  supplies 
at  that  place  and  any  supply  trains  en  route  to  the  Federal 
army  operating  in  Northern  Arkansas  or  Southern  Mis 
souri.  General  Curtis  had  anticipated  such  a  movement 
of  the  enemy,  however,  and,  in  a  short  time  after  the  battle 
of  Pea  Ridge  had  his  cavalry  advance  east  along  the  south 
ern  line  of  Missouri,  soon  to  be  followed  by  his  infantry 
and  artillery,  covering  not  only  Forsyth,  but  all  that  section 
of  country  southeast  of  Springfield  as  far  east  as  West 
Plains,  and  Colonel  Churchill's  raiding  force  was  unable  to 
pass  into  Missouri. 

During  his  brief  stay  at  Van  Buren  General  Van  Dorn 
had  planned  a  campaign  for  Southeast  Missouri,  and  ordered 
his  reorganized  forces,  encamped  in  the  vicinity,  called  the 
First  Division  Army  of  the  West,  of  about  twenty  thousand 
strong,  under  General  Price,  who  had  recently  been  ap 
pointed  and  confirmed  a  Major  General  in  the  Confederate 
Army,  to  Pocahontas,  from  which  place  he  proposed  to 
march  his  forces  and  attack  the  Federal  Army  in  the  rear 
of  New  Madrid,  and  if  that  movement  was  found  impractic 
able,  to  march  boldly  on  St.  Louis.  When  his  army  under 
Price  was  on  the  march  to  Pocahontas,  he  received  a  dis 
patch  from  General  Beauregard  that  his  movement  then 
in  progress  was  too  late,  that  the  Federal  forces  were  in 
possession  of  New  Madrid  and  that  it  would  be  best  to  join 
their  forces  against  the  enemy,  and  instructions  were  hur 
riedly  sent  him  to  change  his  line  of  march  at  Springfield, 
Arkansas,  to  Des  Arc,  on  White  River,  where  troops  and 
supplies  would  be  concentrated  for  further  operations,  which 
would  soon  take  Generals  Van  Dorn  and  Price  with  their 
troops  to  east  of  the  Mississippi  River  to  re-enforce  Beaure 
gard,  who  was  besieged  at  Corinth  by  the  Union  forces  under 
General  Halleck. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  INDIAN  EXPEDITION 

With  the  Confederate  forces  of  Van  Dora  and  Price 
removed  from  western  Arkansas  and  the  Southern  Indian 
forces  of  Pike  south  of  the  Arkansas  River ;  with  the  Federal 
Army  of  Curtis  moving  east  and  southeast  from  the  battle 
field  of  Pea  Ridge,  and  there  being  no  enemy  in  sight  and 
no  threatened  invasion  of  Kansas,  there  was  no  further 
need  of  so  large  a  force  as  had  been  concentrated  at  Fort 
Scott  for  operations  in  the  Indian  country.  Moreover,  as 
already  stated,  three  infantry  regiments  had  been  ordered 
out  of  the  Department  of  Kansas  to  participate  in  opera 
tions  designed  to  open  the  Mississippi  River. 

When  Price  took  with  him  east  of  the  Mississippi  River 
all  the  men  he  could  get  to  enlist  into  the  Confederate  serv 
ice  from  the  Missouri  State  Guard,  or  Army  of  Missouri, 
as  he  called  it,  there  was  a  large  part  of  this  force  that 
continued  in  the  old  organization,  and  soon  commenced  to 
drift  back  into  the  state  in  small  detachments  of  companies 
and  battalions.  With  some  regiments  of  secessionists  in 
process  of  organization  in  North  Missouri  at  the  time  Price 
was  driven  out  of  the  State,  these  made  a  troublesome  ele 
ment  for  General  Schofield,  then  commanding  the  Depart 
ment  of  Missouri,  to  deal  with.  At  the  same  time  there  was 
developing  in  different  counties,  particularly  in  the  western 
counties  of  the  State,  lawless  bands  of  secessionists  known 
as  "bushwhackers,"  who  co-operated  with  the  returning 
members  of  the  State  Guard  and  the  secession  organizations 
that  had  been  cut  off  from  joining  Price  before  the  battle 
of  Pea  Ridge.  Price  took  with  him  east  of  the  Mississippi 
probably  less  than  ten  thousand  Missourians,  and  the  mem 
bers  of  the  State  Guard  who  did  not  enter  the  Confederate 
service,  and  his  followers  who  had  left  the  State  with  him 


58 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  59 

and  were  in  Arkansas  and  Texas  were  perhaps  more  than 
twice  that  number,  most  of  whom  were  anxious  to  get  back 
home,  even  if  they  were  obliged  to  hide  out  in  the  brush. 
It  should  be  stated,  however,  that  there  were  hundreds  of 
the  State  Guards  whose  terms  of  service  expired  about  the 
time  of  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  who  were  at  heart  Union 
men  and  had  been  persuaded  to  enter  that  service  in  the 
early  part  of  the  war  under  the  representations  that  it  was 
strictly  for  the  defense  of  the  State  and  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  cause  of  secession,  and  on  the  expiration  of  their 
terms  of  service  many  of  these  returned  home  and  joined 
the  Union  Army. 

""  As  nearly  all  the  volunteer  regiments  from  Missouri 
on  the  Union  side  were  with  the  armies  operating  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  state,  the  returning  secessionists  of  the 
State  Guard  and  the  other  organized  elements  referred  to 
were  disturbing  the  tranquillity  of  the  state  to  such  an  ex 
tent  that  the  state  government  was  obliged  to  organize  a 
force  of  fourteen  regiments,  called  the  "Missouri  State 
Militia,"  mostly  mounted,  for  service  in  the  state  during 
the  war,  but  armed,  equipped  and  paid  by  the  General  Gov 
ernment;  and  later  they  were  called  for  emergency  service 
what  was  known  as  the  "Missouri  Enrolled  Militia,"  in  which 
there  were  companies  and  regiments  from  nearly  every 
county  in  the  state,  who  were  useful  in  holding  small  posts, 
escorting  trains,  and  in  co-operating  with  the  state  militia 
and  volunteer  forces  in  times  of  raids  of  Southern  forces 
into  the  state.  They  were  under  the  orders  of  Militia  Gen 
erals  commanding  different  districts;  but  some  of  the  En 
rolled  Militia  organizations  had  more  than  a  year's  service 
during  the  war;  part  of  the  fourteen  State  Militia  regiments 
were  recruited  from  them. 

After  the  first  of  April  there  was  no  immediate  danger 
of  invasion  of  Kansas  on  her  eastern  or  southern  borders, 
and  except  for  the  conditions  in  the  Indian  Territory,  nearly 


60  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

all  the  troops  concentrated  at  Fort  Scott  and  vicinity  could 
have  been  sent  away  without  detriment  to  the  service,  to 
strengthen  the  Union  Army  at  other  points. 

Colonel  Charles  Doubleday,  Second  Ohio  Cavalry,  made 
a  reconnoissance  with  his  regiment  from  Fort  Scott  into 
southwest  Missouri  to  break  up  secession  organizations  that 
were  committing  depredations  upon  and  terrorizing  Union 
families.  These  had  been  unable  to  leave  their  homes  and 
seek  safety  at  Springfield  or  in  Kansas  on  account  of  the 
means  of  moving  their  household  goods  and  clothing  hav 
ing  been  taken  by  the  secessionists,  many  of  them  outlaws, 
who  had  no  restraint  imposed  upon  them  after  the  Southern 
Army  was  driven  out  of  the  State.  There  had  been  several 
Federal  scouts  through  Newton  and  McDonald  counties  and 
several  skirmishes  at  Neosho;  but  no  Federal  commander 
had  made  any  effort  to  hold  the  place  for  more  than  a  day 
or  so  at  a  time;  it  was  only  a  night's  march  from  Cowskin 
Prairie,  Cherokee  Nation,  a  rendezvous  for  Southern  forces, 
and  for  a  month  or  so  after  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge  was 
visited  oftener  by  Confederate  detachments,  Indian  and 
white,  than  by  Union  troops.  Colonel  J.  J.  Clarkson,  of 
Missouri,  had  been  authorized  by  General  Van  Dorn  just 
before  his  activities  were  transferred  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
to  raise  a  mounted  regiment  of  white  troops  and,  with  the 
co-operation  of  the  Indian  forces  already  organized,  to 
march  through  the  Indian  country  into  southwest  Kansas 
and  capture  or  destroy  the  supply  trains  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth  en  route  to  the  Union  forces  operating  in  Colorado 
and  New  Mexico,  and  under  his  instructions  was  displaying 
a  good  deal  of  activity  and  zeal  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation  in  organizing  and  preparing  for  the  work 
laid  out  for  him. 

In  his  reconnoissance  through  several  counties  in 
Southwest  Missouri  and  through  the  northeastern  part  of 
the  Cherokee  Nation,  Colonel  Doubleday  did  not  break 
up  the  enemy  forces,  Indians  and  whites  that  had  been 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  61 

operating  from  Cowskin  Prairie.  Instead  he  simply  com 
pelled  them  to  retire  a  few  miles  southward,  where  they 
continued  to  receive  accessions  from  fugitive  secessionists 
from  Missouri,  and  from  the  Missouri  State  Guard,  which 
was  disbanding  since  most  of  its  members  had  entered 
Confederate  service  and  were  with  Price  east  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  River. 

The  Federal  authorities  determined  to  restore  to  their 
homes  in  the  Indian  country,  on  the  opening  of  spring,  the 
refugee  Indian  families  in  Southern  Kansas  and,  by  send 
ing  a  military  force  of  four  or  five  thousand  men,  with  an 
adequate  complement  of  artillery,  to  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Gibson  and  Tahlequah,  to  impress  the  Indians,  particular 
ly  the  Creeks,  Seminoles  and  Cherokees,  with  the  power 
of  the  Government  and  give  them  an  opportunity  of  rais 
ing  several  regiments  for  the  protection  of  their  own 
country,  homes  and  families.  Early  in  the  spring,  when 
they  were  in  Southern  Kansas,  and  it  was  reasonably 
certain  that  an  expedition  would  be  sent  into  their  country 
to  restore  them  to  their  homes,  it  was  believed  that  it 
would  be  practicable  to  raise  several  regiments  among 
them  for  their  own  protection,  for  service  in  their  own 
country  and  on  its  borders  only,  and  recruiting  officers 
were  sent  among  them  and  nearly  two  full  regiments  were 
organized  and  prepared  for  the  field  except  as  to  arms  and 
equipments.  Most  of  them,  however,  were  soon  armed  with 
a  long  barrel  rifle  known  as  Indian  Rifle,  that  used  a 
round  bullet  that  was  quite  effective  at  close  range.  The 
Government  had  on  hand  at  Fort  Leavenworth  enough 
of  these  rifles  to  arm  part  of  the  organized  Indians  and 
issued  them  to  the  new  regiments.  Indeed,  the  Indians 
generally  preferred  them  to  the  army  musket  then  in  use, 
and  when  fighting  in  the  timber  where  they  could  get  a 
rest  for  their  rifles,  they  were  not  to  be  despised  on 
account  of  being  antiquated;  they  used  a  percussion  cap 
instead  of  flint  and  powder  pan,  which  was  passing  ~ut 
of  use. 


62  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

In  the  early  part  of  June  the  following  regiments 
were  concentrated  at  Baxter  Springs,  west  of  Spring  River, 
on  the  Military  Road  from  Fort  Scott  to  Fort  Gibson, 
near  the  State  line,  for  the  Indian  Expedition:  Tenth 
Kansas  Infantry,  Colonel  William  Weer;  Ninth  Wisconsin 
Infantry,  Colonel  Frederick  Salomon;  Second  Ohio  Cavalry, 
Colonel  Charles  Doubleday;  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  Colonel 
William  R.  Judson;  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry,  Colonel  Edward 
Lynde  ;  Captain  Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Battery;  Captain 
Allen's  First  Kansas  Battery;  there  were  also  two  Indian 
regiments,  consisting  of  Cherokees,  Creeks  and  Seminoles, 
that  had  nearly  completed  their  organization,  that  made 
up  the  troops  of  the  expedition. 

The  refugee  Indian  families  that  had  been  in  Southern 
Kansas  west  of  Baxter  Springs  since  mid-winter  came 
over  and  followed  in  the  rear  of  the  army  after  it  entered 
the  Indian  Territory,  and  when  it  was  encamped  at  Hud 
son's  Crossing  of  the  Neosho  River,  the  white  soldiers 
saw  hundreds  of  families,  women  and  children,  bathing 
nude  in  the  warm,  shallow  water  of  the  stream,  apparently 
unconscious  of  what  we  call  shame.  They  were  mostly 
Creeks  and  Seminoles. 

In  the  political  deals  that  were  made,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  James  G.  Blunt,  of  the  Third  Kansas  Infantry, 
which  had  been  broken  up,  was  appointed  Brigadier  Gen 
eral  of  Volunteers  and  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Department  of  Kansas,  including  the  Indian  Territory, 
with  headquarters  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  the  base  of  sup 
plies  for  the  department,  and,  as  his  presence  was  re 
quired  at  headquarters  to  make  arrangements  for  furnish 
ing  his  troops  in  the  field  with  the  needed  supplies,  which 
would  have  to  be  transported  by  wagon  trains  for  a  dis 
tance  of  over  two  hundred  miles  and  over  streams  that 
had  not  been  bridged,  he  was  unable  to  accompany  the 
expedition.  In  the  absence  of  General  Blunt,  the  command 
fell  upon  Colonel  Weer,  the  senior  colonel,  who  had  been 
up  to  entering  the  army,  a  lawyer  of  some  ability  in  Wy- 


CHIEF  JOHN  Ross 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  63 

andotte,  and  had  a  good  military  bearing,  and  would  have 
been  an  efficient  officer  except  for  the  fact  that  he  was 
addicted  to  the  liquor  habit,  which  was  frequently  so  pro 
nounced  as  to  unfit  him  for  having  command  of  troops  in 
the  field. 

The  regimental  commissary  sergeants  made  out 
requisitions  on  the  division  commissary  for  rations  to 
issue  to  the  regiments  to  which  they  belonged,  and  the 
requisitions  had  to  be  approved  by  the  division  commander, 
and  it  so  happened  that  one  time  when  the  command  was 
to  make  a  night  march  so  as  to  strike  the  enemy  at 
daylight  the  next  morning,  that  one  commissary  sergeant 
was  directed  to  have  the  rations  issued  to  the  companies 
of  his  regiment  by  dark.  He  took  the  requisition  to 
Colonel  Weer's  headquarters  to  have  him  approve  it; 
but  was  unable  to  see  him,  that  officer  being  drunk  in 
his  tent;  the  errand  was  repeated  three  or  four  times, 
and  finally  just  before  midnight  his  approval  was  secured; 
his  drunken  condition  caused  a  delay  of  several  hours  in 
the  movement  of  the  troops  whose  requisition  for  commis 
sary  supplies  was  to  be  filled. 

Before  the  expedition  left  Baxter  Springs,  Colonel 
Weer  had  information  through  his  scouts  of  a  Confederate 
force  of  Indians  and  Whites  encamped  at  Round  Grove, 
on  the  east  side  of  Grand  River,  about  twenty  miles 
distant,  and  having  everything  in  readiness  his  troops 
struck  tents  and  crossing  the  State  line,  passed  into  the 
Indian  Territory  and  took  up  the  march  south  on  the 
Old  Military  Road  to  Fort  Gibson.  On  crossing  the 
Neosho  River  at  Hudson's  Ford,  the  command  turned 
east  and  crossed  Grand  River,  marching  in  the  direction 
of  Cowskin  Prairie  until  it  came  to  a  beautiful  grove  where 
there  was  an  abundance  of  water  and  went  into  camp  for 
the  night.  The  army  was  now  in  the  enemy  country  and 
pickets  were  posted  to  prevent  a  surprise  attack. 

Detachments  of  cavalry  from  the  Sixth  Kansas  and 
mounted  Indians  from  the  First  Cherokee  regiment  were 


64  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

sent  forward  under  Colonel  Jewell  as  far  east  as  the  State 
line,  and  south  ten  to  fifteen  miles  to  scout  the  country 
thoroughly  and  gather  all  the  information  practicable  of 
the  movements  and  numbers  of  the  enemy  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  and  the  officers  in  command 
of  the  detachments  reported  that  they  had  interviewed  a 
number  of  Cherokee  people  who  informed  them  that  there 
had  been  in  that  section  for  several  weeks  Southern  forces 
of  Missouriaixs  under  Rains,  Coffee,  Hunter  and  Clarkson, 
variously  estimated  at  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  men,  and 
under  Colonel  Watie  three  or  four  hundred  Cherokees, 
and  on  hearing  of  the  advance  of  the  Union  Expedition, 
had  broken  up  their  camps  and  moved  further  south;  that 
these  Southern  forces  of  Missourians  and  Indians  had 
recently  made  a  raid  into  Missouri  as  far  as  Neosho  and 
attacked  a  detachment  of  about  two  hundred  militia  com 
manded  by  Colonel  John  M.  Richardson,  Fourteenth  Mis 
souri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  at  that  place  and  dispersed 
them,  capturing  their  wagons  and  doing  some  damage; 
that  the  Cherokees  under  Colonel  Watie  were  the  only 
Confederate  force  in  that  section  displaying  much  activity 
since  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge;  that  those  under  Colonel 
Drew  were  at  or  near  Park  Hill  and  Tahlequah  and  had  not 
lately  been  active,  and  were  not  enthusiastic  for  the  Con 
federate  cause. 

With  the  information  thus  secured  Colonel  Weer  or 
dered  the  greater  part  of  his  command,  consisting  of  in 
fantry  and  artillery,  some  cavalry  and  the  supply  and 
baggage  trains  under  Colonel  Salomon,  to  recross  Grand 
River  to  the  west  side  and  march  down  on  the  Military 
Road  to  Cabin  Creek,  where  the  two  wings  of  the  command 
would  unite,  while  he  took  a  battalion  of  his  own  regiment, 
the  Tenth  Kansas,  a  battalion  of  the  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry 
and  a  section  of  Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Battery,  and  by 
making  a  night  march  down  on  the  east  side  of  Grand 
River,  endeavor  to  surprise  and  attack  the  enemy  whom 
he  had  located,  by  daylight  the  next  morning.  In  co- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  65 

operation  with  this  movement  he  sent  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Jewell,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  with  part  of  his  regiment, 
to  make  a  rapid  march  south  several  miles  east  of  the 
line  of  march  of  Colonel  Weer's  force,  to  strike  the  South 
ern  force  of  Indians  under  Colonel  Watie  and  capture 
or  disperse  them,  and  then  push  on  and  join  the  column 
under  Colonel  Weer  early  the  next  morning1,  if  practicable 
at  or  near  Grand  Saline. 

The  enemy  Indians  had  heard  of  the  Union  Expe 
dition  crossing  to  the  east  side  of  Grand  River  and  were 
;»i  the  lookout  for  any  mounted  detachments  moving  south, 
so  that  Colonel  Jewell's  day's  march  was  a  day  of  excite 
ment  in  pursuit  of  small  parties  of  the  enemy  in  their 
flight  south,  and  several  times  came  near  capturing  Colonel 
Watie,  and  one  time  certainly  would  have  done  so  had 
he  not  taken  to  the  brush,  so  near  were  his  pursuers  at 
his  heels,  those  in  advance  having  emptied  their  revolvers 
at  him  without  effect.  Having  dispersed  Watie's  force 
in  every  direction,  at  dark  Colonel  Jewell  halted  an  hour 
to  feed  and  rest,  and  then  mounting  his  men,  marched  all 
night  and  arrived  at  Locust  Grove  just  as  the  action  was 
over. 

It  turned  out  that  the  enemy  camp  at  Locust  Grove 
under  Colonel  Clarkson  was  located  as  it  had  been  de 
scribed  to  Colonel  Weer,  and  having  reliable  guides,  he 
was  able  to  adjust  his  march  so  as  to  arrive  at  it  just 
at  daybreak,  and  capturing  several  of  the  enemy  pickets 
out  some  distance  from  camp  and  by  a  rapid  movement 
of  his  command  had  the  enemy  surrounded  before  they 
knew  of  his  presence.  When  awakened  by  the  firing  at 
those  who  were  endeavoring  to  escape  from  the  camp, 
many  of  Colonel  Clarkson's  men  in  their  night  clothes 
were  seen  rushing  about  in  the  greatest  confusion ;  but  the 
Federal  forces  had  closed  up  so  rapidly  that  the  cordon 
thrown  around  the  camp  was  so  strengthened  that  any 
further  escape  of  the  enemy  was  impossible. 

In  this  affair,  known  as  the  action  of  Locust  Grove, 


66  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Colonel  Clarkson  surrendered  110  men,  mostly  Missourians, 
and  all  his  baggage  and  sixty  wagons  loaded  with  powder 
and  supplies  just  arrived  from  Fort  Smith,  for  his  pro 
posed  expedition  into  Southwestern  Kansas,  to  capture  or 
destroy  wagon  trains  hauling  supplies  to  the  Federal  Posts 
in  Colorado  and  New  Mexico. 

Locust  Grove  was  near  Grand  Saline,  the  Salt  works, 
and  the  next  day  after  the  action  the  prisoners  and  capt 
ured  train  were  taken  to  the  west  side  of  Grand  River  where 
the  army  encamped  near  the  mouth  of  Cabin  Creek  and 
where  it  celebrated  the  Fourth  of  July.  The  Indians  who 
took  part  in  the  expedition  were  allowed  to  help  themselves 
to  the  captured  loot  except  as  to  army  supplies;  but  the 
Indians  got  most  of  it,  for  the  clothing  was  nearly  all 
citizens'  clothing  and  of  no  use  to  the  white  soldiers;  the 
other  supplies  that  could  be  used  by  the  army  were  turned 
over  to  the  chiefs  of  the  departments  that  issued  such 
supplies  to  the  troops;  the  powder  was  turned  over  to  the 
Indian  officers  to  be  used  as  ammunition  for  their  Indian 
rifles. 

The  loyal  Indians  were  delighted  with  this  important 
triumph  in  a  few  days  after  the  Federal  army  entered 
their  country,  and  it  caused  consternation  among  those 
who  had  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy,  and  they 
lost  as  little  time  as  possible  in  putting  the  Arkansas  River 
between  them  and  the  Federal  forces. 

After  spending  a  few  days  in  the  camp  on  Cabin 
Creek  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  supply  train  from  Fort 
Scott,  Colonel  Weer  moved  the  army  forward  again  down 
the  Military  Road  on  the  west  side  of  Grand  River  to  Flat 
Rock,  about  twelve  miles  above  Fort  Gibson,  where  it  en 
camped  for  two  weeks  and  until  its  commissary  supplies 
commenced  running  low,  and  until  a  fear  arose  in  the 
minds  of  some  of  the  officers  and  troops  that  our  com 
munications  had  been  interrupted  between  that  place  and 
Fort  Scott  with  the  possible  loss  of  our  supply  train. 
After  leaving  Cabin  Creek  the  weather  had  become  op- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  67 

pressively  warm  for  Northern  troops  and  animals;  not  a 
drop  of  rain  had  fallen  since  the  expedition  entered  the 
Indian  country  to  revive  the  dying  grass,  which  in  some 
places  was  dry  enough  to  burn,  an  unusual  phenomenon 
for  that  season  of  the  year.  The  expedition  seemingly 
was  unable  to  move  forward  or  retire;  the  troops  day 
after  day,  were  sweltering  under  almost  tropical  heat  and 
no  dispatches  having  been  received  in  regard  to  the  supply 
train,  some  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  became  almost 
mutinous;  in  fact  became  mutinous,  and  as  Colonel  Weer 
would  neither  order  the  expedition  forward  nor  retire, 
Colonel  Salomon,  the  next  officer  in  rank,  feeling  that  the 
situation  was  desperate,  called  a  council  of  war  of  the 
principal  commanders  of  regiments,  and  after  its  delibera 
tions  issued  a  pronunciamento  to  the  troops,  reciting  that 
the  army  was  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  from  its  base 
with  communications  interrupted,  took  upon  himself  the 
responsibility  of  arresting  Colonel  Weer  and  assuming 
command  and  ordering  immediate  retirement  until  the 
supply  train  was  met  or  its  safety  assured,  and  in  re 
porting  the  fact  to  the  Department  Commander  charged 
Weer  with  being  abusive  in  intercourse  with  fellow  of 
ficers,  and  of  being  notoriously  intemperate  in  habits  while 
on  duty. 

But  after  all,  the  expedition  accomplished  something 
worth  while  before  leaving  Cabin  Creek.  Colonel  Weer 
sent  two  companies  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  under 
Captain  H.  S.  Greeno,  to  Tahlequah,  the  capital  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  and  to  Parkhill,  three  miles  beyond  the 
official  residence  of  the  Chief,  John  Ross,  to  ascertain  the 
condition  of  affairs  there  and  for  information  as  to 
whether  the  Chief  was  willing  to  visit  the  camp  of  the 
expedition  and  talk  over  with  the  Federal  authorities 
the  line  of  policy  he  proposed  to  pursue,  all  of  which  was 
intended  to  impress  him  with  the  power  of  the  Govern- 


68  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ment  and  give  him  an  opportunity  of  renouncing  the  treaty 
of  alliance  of  his  people  with  the  Confederacy. 

He  declined  to  visit  the  Federal  camp  for  the  pur 
pose  set  forth,  pleading  age  and  the  delicate  position  in 
which  he  was  placed  by  the  fortunes  of  war,  and  as  the 
matter  appeared  to  Captain  Greeno  to  belong  more  ap 
propriately  to  the  Indian  Department  and  to  diplomacy 
than  to  the  Military,  he  decided  not  to  disturb  the  Chief, 
but  put  him  upon  his  parole  not  to  leave  his  official  resi 
dence  or  capital  until  his  position  was  considered  by  the 
proper  Federal  authorities. 

Part  of  Colonel  Drew's  regiment  of  Cherokees  and 
many  of  the  officers  were  at  Parkhill  and  Tahlequah,  and 
on  hearing  of  the  disaster  to  Colonel  Clarkson's  command 
and  the  close  pursuit  of  Colonel  Watie,  were  almost  para 
lyzed,  and  after  rounding  them  up,  Captain  Greeno  heard 
them  debating  about  what  they  should  do,  and  remarked 
that  he  would  decide  for  himself  and  make  them  prisoners 
and  take  them  to  camp,  and  he  did  so.  There  were  some 
of  the  prominent  men  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  among 
them,  Lieutenant  Colonel  William  P.  Ross,  Major  Thomas 
Pegg,  Lieutenant  J.  Chover,  and  several  other  officers  of 
Colonel  Drew's  regiment. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  William  P.  Ross  had  just  received 
orders  from  Colonel  Cooper  to  report  to  him  at  once  at 
Fort  Davis,  which  was  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Arkansas 
River  opposite  to  Fort  Gibson,  with  his  available  men;  but 
Captain  Greeno's  action  made  it  impossible  to  comply  with 
the  instructions.  Chief  Ross  had  also  just  received  a  dis 
patch  from  Colonel  Cooper,  requesting  him  in  the  name 
of  the  President  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,  and  in  ac 
cordance  with  treaty  stipulations  of  October,  1861,  to  issue 
a  proclamation  calling  out  every  man  fit  for  military  service 
in  the  Cherokee  Nation  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and 
thirty-five  years,  to  assist  in  repelling  the  invasion  of  the 
Indian  country  by  the  Federal  forces. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  69 

In  view  of  this  situation  and  in  order  to  make  it 
impossible  for  the  Chief  to  take  any  action  in  opposition 
to  the  Federal  Government,  Captain  Greeno  decided  on  fur 
ther  consideration  not  only  to  parole  him  and  leave  him 
at  home,  but  to  make  him  a  prisoner  of  war  until  the  matter 
should  be  disposed  of  by  higher  authority.  This  action 
prevented  him  from  issuing  the  proclamation  under  pressure 
of  Colonel  Cooper.  He  knew,  too,  that  there  was  no  Con 
federate  force  in  the  Cherokee  Nation  to  defend  it  against 
invasion  of  Federal  forces  as  had  been  promised. 

Captain  Greeno  was  a  graduate  physician  and  prac 
titioner  up  to  the  time  of  raising  his  company,  and  an 
intelligent   officer,   and   had  the  good  judgment   to   use 
tact  and  diplomacy  in  dealing  with  these  Indians.    Having 
heard  of  the  whirlwind  movement  of  the  Federal  forces 
down  on  the  east  side  of  Grand  River,  and  the  capture  of 
Colonel  Clarkson's  command  at  Locust  Grove  only  a  few 
days  before  the  arrival  of  Greeno,  several  hundred  Chero- 
kees,    many   of   them   leading   men   of   the    nation,    had 
gathered  at  Tahlequah  and  Parkhill,  to  discuss  the  situa 
tion.    While  they  were  debating  the  matter  without  seem 
ing  to  get  anywhere,  Captain  Greeno  decided  to  address 
them,  giving  his  view  of  the  situation.    There  was  a  meet 
ing  of  the  leaders  of  the  Indians  at  which  he  was  present 
and  invited  to  speak,  and  in  substance  spoke  as  follows: 
"Leaders  and  people  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  I  am  here 
under  orders  of  the  commanding  officer  of  the  United 
States  forces  encamped  at  Cabin  Creek.    It  is  an  expedition 
of  several  thousand  men,  well  supplied  with  cavalry,  ar 
tillery  and   infantry,   and  sent  by  the  Government  into 
the  Indian  country  to  restore  peace  and  tranquillity  among 
the  Cherokee  people,  and  to  protect  those  who  have  lived 
up  to  treaty  relations  with  the  Government.     You  have 
heard  of  the  swiftness  of  our  movements  and  of  the  first 
blow  we  have  struck  the  enemy  in  the  capture  of  Colonel 
Clarkson's  command  at  Locust  Grove  a  few  days  ago,  and 
we  mean  to  keep  up  these  blows  until  not  an  enemy  organiza- 


70  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

tion  shall  find  a  footing  in  your  country.  Last  year  the 
Federal  Government  did  not  have  its  forces  organized  until 
after  the  enemy,  white  and  Indian  soldiers,  had  overrun 
your  country,  taken  your  property,  and  by  threats  and  in 
timidation  forced  many  of  your  people  to  take  sides  with  the 
South  against  their  will  and  judgment.  But  I  am  able  to 
tell  you  now  that  the  Federal  Government  is  rapidly  getting 
its  forces  organized  and  equipped  for  an  aggressive  cam 
paign  on  all  fronts,  and  I  may  call  your  attention  to  the 
fact,  if  you  have  not  already  heard,  where  our  arms  have 
been  completely  successful  recently  in  defeating  large  South 
ern  armies  and  driving  them  from  their  strong  positions 
with  the  loss  of  thousands  of  prisoners  and  cannon  and 
millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  equipment.  Commencing  his 
mid-winter  campaign,  General  Grant,  after  many  bloody 
conflicts,  drove  the  Confederate  army  out  of  Kentucky  into 
their  strongly  fortified  positions  at  Fort  Donelson  on  the 
Cumberland  River  and  Fort  Henry  on  the  Tennessee  River, 
and  after  a  short  siege,  compelled  both  places  to  surrender 
with  more  than  21,000  prisoners,  including  several  generals, 
and  with  the  loss  of  all  their  arms,  supplies  and  equip 
ments.  This  overwhelming  success  of  the  Federal  arms 
caused  the  Confederate  generals  to  retire  their  remaining 
armies  to  Corinth,  Mississippi.  General  Grant  advanced  in 
pursuit  and  took  his  army  up  the  Tennessee  River  on 
transports,  convoyed  by  gunboats  armed  with  guns  of 
heavy  calibres,  to  Pittsburgh  Landing,  where  he  disem 
barked  his  forces,  33,000  strong,  and  was  soon  attacked 
by  the  Confederate  forces  from  Corinth,  under  General 
Andrew  Sidney  Johnston,  38,000  strong,  and,  after  a 
desperate  battle  of  nearly  two  days,  defeated  the  Southern 
forces  and  drove  them  back  to  Corinth  with  a  loss  of 
nearly  fifteen  thousand  men  killed  and  wounded  on  each 
side,  General  Johnston  being  among  the  slain.  General 
Grant's  forces  moved  forward  from  the  victorious  field  and 
laid  siege  to  Corinth,  which  had  been  strongly  fortified 
and  re-enforced  by  all  the  available  Confederate  forces  in  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  71 

West,  and  after  more  than  a  month's  siege,  the  Confederate 
commander  slipped  out  and  retired  further  south,  so  that 
the  Confederates  were  holding  no  position  on  that  front, 
but  were  holding  strong  positions  on  the  Mississippi  River, 
the  most   northern    of   which   was    Island    Number   Ten. 
While  General  Grant's  operations  were  going  forward  at 
Forts  Donelson  and  Henry  and  at  Pittsburg  Landing  and 
Corinth,   the   Confederate  forces   holding  Island   Number 
Ten    were  being  fiercely  attacked   and   besieged  by  the 
Federal  land  and  naval  forces,  and  on  the  7th  of  April,  the 
last  day  of  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  compelled  to 
abandon  the  Island,  and  in  endeavoring  to  escape    5,000 
men  and  three  generals  were  cut  off  and  captured,  and  all 
their  arms,  supplies  and  equipment,  including  more  than 
100  cannon,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors.    Continuing 
the    Mississippi    River    campaign,    the    Federal    Gunboat 
Flotilla   attacked  and  defeated  the  Confederate  Ram  Fleet 
at  Fort  Pillow,  and  it  retired  to  Memphis,  where,  in  the 
early  part  of  June,   it  was  again  attacked  by  Admiral 
Walke,    commanding   the    Federal    Gunboat    Flotilla,    and 
every  vessel  destroyed  except  one,  that  escaped  by  flight 
down  the  Mississippi  River.    And  now  coming  nearer  your 
own  homes,  within  cannon  sound  of  the  Cherokee  Nation, 
the  great  three  days   battle  of  Pea  Ridge  was  fought  be 
tween  the  Federal  forces  of  General  Curtis,  10,000  strong, 
and  the  combined  Confederate  forces  of  Generals  Van  Dorn, 
Price  and  Pike,  16,000  strong,  and  you  know  the  result, 
you  know  of  the  overwhelming  defeat  of  the  Southern 
forces  who  ^ere  driven  from  the  field  with  the  loss  of 
three  generals  killed,  McCulloch,  Mclntosh  and  Slack,  and 
of  thousands  of  men  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  and  so 
demoralized   that   they   were   practically   a   disintegrated 
mass  until  they  arrived  at  Van  Buren  for  reorganization. 

While  these  operations  were  going  on,  Admiral  Fara- 
gut,  commanding  the  United  States  naval  forces  of  the 
Gulf  Squadron,  passed  the  Confederate  forts  on  the  Lower 
Mississippi  River,  advanced  up  to  New  Orleans,  and  having 


72  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

the  city  under  his  guns  of  the  fleet,  received  its  surrender, 
leaving  only  two  places  of  importance  on  the  Mississippi 
River  to  the  Confederates,  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson. 

"These  successes  of  the  Federal  arms  are  referred  to 
to  show  you  that  part  of  the  Federal  forces  employed  in 
those  operations  will  be  released  for  operations  in  Arkansas 
and  the  Indian  country,  and  that  it  is  the  firm  intention 
of  the  Government  to  exercise  its  lawful  authority  in  all 
this  region,  and  to  meet,  engage  and  destroy  all  opposition 
as  rapidly  as  practicable,  and  it  has  been  pointed  out  to 
you  the  earnestness  with  which  the  Government  has  taken 
hold  of  the  matter. " 

In  concluding  his  address,  the  captain  told  his  audi 
ence,  which  had  increased  after  he  commenced  speaking, 
that  the  Government  was  firm  but  conciliatory  and  not 
disposed  to  exercise  revenge  towards  any  one,  and  that 
if  any  of  the  Cherokee  people  had,  under  pressure  of 
threats  and  promises  of  the  Confederate  authorities,  as 
sumed  a  hostile  attitude  towards  the  General  Government, 
and  were  now  convinced  of  their  error  and  wished  to  hence 
forward  cast  their  fortunes  with  the  Unionists,  they  could 
do  so  without  prejudice  and  without  danger  and  would 
receive  the  protection  of  the  army,  but  that  the  Govern 
ment  was  determined  to  restore  to  their  homes  all  loyal 
Indian  families  who  had  been  driven  off  by  the  enemy, 
and  to  give  them  all  the  protection  within  its  power,  and 
would  look  to  them  for  co-operation  in  this  work. 

It  was  the  desire  of  the  Federal  authorities  to  treat 
the  leaders  of  the  faction  that  had  renounced  their  al 
legiance  to  the  Government  with  leniency,  for  it  was  gen 
erally  known  that  the  Confederate  Government  had 
brought  strong  pressure  to  bear  upon  them  to  have  them 
change  their  policy  and  form  an  alliance  with  it.  But  the 
alliance  with  the  Confederacy  was  not  popular  with  the 
majority  of  the  Cherokee  people  from  the  first,  and  when 
Captain  Greeno  started  to  march  back  to  camp,  there  were 
several  hundred  Cherokees,  mostly  members  of  Colonel 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  73 

Drew's  regiment  at  Tahlequah  and  Parkhill  and  vicinity, 
of  whose  political  status  he  did  not  feel  certain;  but  as 
their  attitude  was  not  hostile,  he  decided  to  leave  them  to 
follow  their  own  inclinations,  and  they  followed  him  into 
camp,  and  most  of  them  immediately  joined  the  Third 
Indian  Regiment  then  being  organized. 

Two  companies  of  Colonel  Judson's  Sixth  Kansas 
Cavalry  were  also  sent  out  from  Cabin  Creek  down  the 
east  side  of  Grand  River  on  a  reconnoissance  to  ascertain 
whether  any  Confederate  force  was  occupying  Fort  Gibson. 
The  detachment  met  with  no  resistance  on  the  march,  and 
on  approaching  the  place  found  from  inquiries  that  not 
more  than  forty  to  fifty  Confederates  had  been  there  for 
a  day  or  so,  and  these  fled  when  the  Federal  cavalry  came 
in  sight  to  the  thick  brush  and  timber  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Arkansas  River,  three  miles  distant.  On  marching  in 
and  occupying  the  town  and  post,  the  Commanding  officer 
of  the  Sixth  Kansas  raised  the  Stars  and  Stripes  to  the 
top  of  the  flag  pole,  the  first  time  its  graceful  folds  had 
waved  from  that  place  for  a  year  and  a  half.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  Arkansas  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of 
Grand  River,  the  Confederates  had  prepared  a  fortified 
position  they  called  Fort  Davis,  in  honor  of  President 
Davis,  of  the  Confederacy,  and  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  Sixth  Kansas  received  information  that  Colonel  Cooper 
had,  at  that  place  and  in  the  vicinity,  a  force  of  two  or 
three  thousand  men,  Choctaws,  Chickasaws  and  Texans; 
but  that  since  the  Federal  Army  had  swept  the  Con 
federates  from  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  River,  he 
was  on  the  point  of  retiring  to  the  Canadian  River. 

During  the  month  that  the  Federal  Army  had  occu 
pied  the  Indian  country  north  of  the  Arkansas  River,  hun 
dreds  of  Indian  families  returned  to  their  homes  in  the 
confidence  that  they  could  live  in  peace  and  have  the  pro 
tection  promised  them,  and  were  of  course  deeply  disap 
pointed  and  grieved  when  they  heard  the  Federal  forces 
were  retiring  north  to  Baxter  Springs,  a  movement  that 


74  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

would  leave  them  entirely  unprotected,  should  the  Indian 
troops  recently  organized  and  only  partly  armed  and 
equipped  also  retire.  It  was  generally  felt  among  the  In 
dians  that  the  moment  the  Federal  forces  retired  to  the 
northern  line  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  that  Colonel  Cooper 
would  gather  up  his  forces,  consisting  of  Choctaws  and 
Chickasaws,  Texans,  and  Colonel  Watie's  Cherokee  regi 
ment  and  cross  the  Arkansas  River  and  overrun  all  that 
part  of  the  country  evacuated  by  the  Federal  army  and 
cause  a  reign  of  terror  among  the  loyal  Indian  families  who 
had  returned  to  their  homes. 

When  the  army  returned  to  Cabin  Creek,  a  regiment  of 
cavalry  under  Colonel  Cloud  arrived  from  Kansas  and  was 
sent  over  to  Tahlequah  and  Parkhill,  to  bring  out  Chief 
Ross  and  the  archives  of  the  Cherokee  Nation.  He  was 
considered  by  the  Federal  officers  in  a  position  to  know 
his  feelings  and  sentiments,  to  be  in  favor  of  the  Union 
cause,  and  it  was  not  held  expedient  to  leave  him  at  his 
capital  on  the  evacuation  of  the  country. 

His  family,  friends  and  entourage  occupied  about  a 
dozen  carriages  as  they  accompanied  the  army  on  the 
march  north,  part  of  our  troops  escorting  him  from  Bax 
ter  Springs  to  Fort  Scott,  where  he  made  arrangements  to 
go  to  Philadelphia.  He  never  returned  to  the  Cherokee 
Nation;  he  was  generally  beloved  by  the  Cherokee  people 
whose  interests  he  always  held  superior  to  all  other  con 
siderations.  He  was  not  a  full  blood  Cherokee. 

In  a  short  time  after  arresting  Colonel  Weer  and  as 
suming  command  of  the  expedition,  Colonel  Salomon  was 
promoted  to  Brigadier  General,  and  under  instructions  from 
General  Blunt,  commanding  the  Department,  was  to  hold 
the  advanced  position  he  occupied  on  the  west  side  of 
Grand  River,  a  few  miles  above  Fort  Gibson;  but  it  is  a 
well  established  principle  of  military  science,  as  well  as  of 
common  sense,  that  a  military  commander  operating  some 
distance  from  his  base  must  see  to  it  that  his  lines  of 
communication  are  kept  open ;  his  supply  lines  kept  intact, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  75 

for  any  interruption  of  these  by  his  enemy  might  force 
him  into  the  humiliating  position  of  being  obliged  to  sur 
render  without  fighting.  The  army  was  about  one  hundred 
and  sixty  miles  from  its  base  at  Fort  Scott;  the  weather 
was  unusually  hot  and  dry  for  nearly  two  months  in  mid 
summer  and  had  dried  up  the  grass,  dried  it  up  so  that 
it  would  burn  in  places  on  the  prairie,  and  as  there  was 
no  corn  in  the  country  for  the  public  animals  the  troops 
were  handicapped  from  further  aggressive  operations.  The 
Indians,  under  normal  conditions,  did  not  raise  enough 
corn  for  their  own  use. 

But  this  was  not  all,  the  Federal  position  was  tenable 
only  so  long  as  Western  Missouri  and  Western  Arkansas 
were  free  of  Southern  forces  of  sufficient  strength  to  at 
tack  the  Federal  line  of  communication,  its  supply  line, 
which  was  all  the  way  from  its  position  on  Grand  River  to 
Fort  Scott,  within  a  day's  march  of  the  western  line  of 
Arkansas  and  Missouri,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  dis 
tance  within  a  few  hours*  march. 

All  of  western  Arkansas  north  of  the  Arkansas  River 
and  west  of  Batesville  was  unoccupied  by  any  Union 
troops,  leaving  this  large  area  open  and  undisturbed  for 
the  Southern  leaders  to  collect  and  organize  their  forces 
from  conscripts  and  large  numbers  of  secessionists  from 
Missouri,  who  were  anxious  to  return  to  their  homes. 
General  T.  C.  Hindman  had  lately  been  assigned  by  the 
Confederate  Government  to  the  command  of  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  District,  which  included  the  Indian  Territory, 
and  as  he  was  an  energetic  commander  and  anxious  to 
make  a  good  showing  to  his  government  for  its  confidence 
reposed  in  him,  set  to  work  at  once  to  organize  all  the 
resources  of  his  district  and  prepare  the  forces  raised  for 
active,  aggressive  operations  at  the  earliest  possible  mo 
ment,  giving  his  almost  undivided  attention  to  Western 
Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory. 


76  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

There  were  no  Federal  troops  or  Missouri  Militia 
stationed  at  more  than  one  or  two  points  in  the  western 
counties  of  the  State  south  of  Nevada,  leaving  this  ex 
tensive  area  to  be  traversed  by  returning  bands  of  seces 
sionists  without  opposition,  except  accidental  opposition  of 
meeting  scouting  detachments  of  Union  Militia  from 
Springfield  and  a  few  other  points. 

There  was  some  correspondence  between  General 
Blunt  and  General  Brown,  commanding  the  District  of 
Southwest  Missouri  at  Springfield,  in  regard  to  co-operat 
ing  with  each  other  to  prevent  bodies  of  secessionists  from 
passing  through  the  western  counties  of  Missouri  to  the 
Missouri  River  counties;  but  these  efforts  of  co-operation 
were  ineffectual,  for  during  the  month  of  July  there  was 
an  almost  constant  stream  of  Missouri  secessionists,  in 
small  parties  of  a  dozen  or  so  to  a  hundred  or  more,  emerg 
ing  from  Arkansas  and  on  the  march  to  the  Missouri  River 
counties  or  other  counties  in  the  interior  of  the  State. 

Many  of  these  parties  were  headed  by  prominent  men, 
such  men  as  Colonel  John  T.  Hughes,  with  a  Brigadier 
General's  commission ;  Colonel  J.  V.  Cockrell,  Colonel  Upton 
Hayes,  Colonel  John  T.  Coffee,  Colonel  J.  0.  Shelby,  Colonel 
Tracy,  Colonel  Jackman,  Colonel  Chiles,  Colonel  Hunter, 
and  in  a  short  time  they  were  able  to  recruit,  rally  and 
concentrate  two  or  three  thousand  men  upon  any  place 
they  considered  it  worth  while  to  attack  successfully.  On 
the  llth  of  August,  Colonel  Hughes,  the  ranking  officer 
among  them,  attacked  the  Federal  force  of  Lieutenant 
Colonel  James  T.  Buell,  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  com 
manding  the  Post  of  Independence,  and  after  a  desperate 
fight  that  lasted  from  daylight  until  nearly  noon,  captured 
most  of  the  Federal  force;  but  at  a  terrible  cost  of  killed 
and  wounded  on  both  sides,  Colonel  Hughes,  Colonel  Chiles 
and  other  Confederate  field  officers  losing  their  lives,  and 
a  number  of  others  being  severely  wounded. 

The  situation  became  so  threatening  to  his  supply  line 
and  to  the  depot  of  supplies  at  Fort  Scotl  that  General 
Salomon  left  the  three  Indian  regiments  recently  organized 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  77 

and  a  force  of  white  troops  and  some  artillery  at  his  camp 
on  the  west  side  of  Grand  River,  a  few  miles  below  Baxter 
Springs,  and  with  the  main  part  of  his  command  made  a 
forced  march  to  Fort  Scott  and  upon  arrival  there  found 
General  Blunt,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Forth  Leaven- 
worth,  to  take  command  in  person  of  all  the  troops  that 
could  be  spared  from  Fort  Scott  and  vicinity,  in  an  expe 
dition  north  through  the  western  counties  of  Missouri, 
in  co-operation  with  the  forces  of  General  Schofield  and 
at  his  request,  the  march  to  continue  north  until  the 
Southern  forces  were  met  and  engaged. 

The  time  was  pressing ;  the  battle  of  Independence  had 
been  fought  and  won  by  the  Southern  forces,  and  they 
were  buoyant  with  hope.    General  Blunt  had  little  time  for 
preparation  for  an  expedition  that  meant  so  much  to  East 
ern  Kansas  and  the  Indian  country.    The  cavalry,  artillery 
and  transportation  animals  and  the  troops  just  arrived 
from  the  Indian  expedition  were  badly  worn  out,  many  of 
the  animals  being  entirely  unfit  for  immediate  service; 
but  the  General  selected  his  cavalry  from  the  Second,  Sixth 
and  Ninth  Kansas  regiments,  mounted  on  native  horses, 
and  put  his  infantry,  consisting  of  the  available  men  of 
the  Ninth  Wisconsin,  Tenth  Kansas,  and  several  hundred 
dismounted  men  of  the  Second  Ohio  Cavalry,  into  four- 
mule  Government  wagons,  and  with  Rabb's  Second  Indiana 
Battery,  Allen's  First  Kansas  Battery  and  four  howitzers, 
started  out  on  a  forced  march,  day  and  night,  with  only 
three  or  four  hours  intervals  for  feed  and  rest,  to  come  up 
with  and  engage  the  enemy.     In  his  march  through  the 
eastern  part  of  Cass  County  he  came  up  with  and  passed 
Colonel  Fitz  Henry  Warren's  regiment,  First  Iowa  Cavalry, 
that  had  been  stationed  at  Clinton.    Members  of  this  regi 
ment  stated  that  reports  had  come  to  it,  seemingly  reliable, 
that  a  desperate  battle  had  been  fought  the  day  before, 
August  16th,  at  Lone  Jack,  between  the  Southern  forces 
commanded  by  Colonel    Cocbrell    and  a  Federal  force  of 


78  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Missourians  of  eight  hundred  men  commanded  by  Major 
Emory  Foster,  and  that  the  Union  forces  were  defeated 
and  obliged  to  retire  on  Lexington,  leaving  Major  Foster 
severely  wounded  on  the  field. 

But  General  Blunt  pushed  on  and  came  up  in  front  of 
Lone  Jack  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  and  threw  out 
skirmishers  of  mounted  men  to  keep  in  touch  with  the 
enemy  until  his  troops  and  artillery  could  come  up  and 
form  in  line  of  battle.  When  his  dispositions  were  made 
and  he  was  ready  to  open  the  attack,  a  terrific  thunder 
and  rain  storm  that  had  been  gathering  in  the  northwest 
for  some  time  burst  upon  the  hostile  forces,  and  it  soon 
became  so  dark  and  with  the  blinding  sheets  of  rain  as 
to  suspend  operations  until  the  crest  of  the  storm  passed 
over.  It  was  then  too  dark  to  commence  a  movement  until 
the  enemy's  position  could  be  better  ascertained  by  ad 
vancing  the  skirmish  line. 

It  was  soon  found,  however,  that  the  enemy,  seeing 
our  preparation  for  commencing  the  attack,  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  took  a  road 
near  the  position  where  they  had  formed  on  the  south  side 
of  the  village,  that  led  through  the  timber  around  the 
Federal  right,  and  by  daylight  the  next  morning  the  whole 
force  was  in  a  rapid  retreat  south.  The  night  was  spent 
by  General  Blunt's  forces  in  reconnoitering  to  ascertain 
the  movements  of  the  enemy,  and  when  daylight  came  it 
revealed  to  him  that  they  had  passed  around  his  right  and 
were  in  full  retreat.  Dispositions  were  immediately  made 
for  a  vigorous  pursuit;  a  hard  task  was  imposed  upon 
troops  and  animals,  for  it  was  kept  up  until  the  enemy 
were  pushed  into  Northwest  Arkansas,  and  until  the 
mounts  of  the  Union  force  had  become  so  worn  out  by 
constant  marching  as  to  unfit  them  for  further  immediate 
service.  The  Missouri  forces  of  General  Brown  from 
Springfield,  Mt.  Vernon  and  Greenfield  joined  in  the 
pursuit  in  Southwest  Missouri,  and  assisted  in  pushing 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  79 

the  enemy  out  of  the  State,  engaging  him  in  several  sharp 
skirmishes.  But  this  was  not  the  final  effort  on  either 
side  in  this  section,  for  the  struggle  was  to  be  renewed 
after  a  short  respite  given  for  rest,  reorganization  and 
preparation. 

General  Blunt  returned  with  his  troops  to  Fort  Scott 
to  rest,  refit  and  remount  a  large  part  of  his  cavalry,  the 
horses  having  become  unserviceable  from  hard  marching 
and  scouting  from  Kansas  through  the  Indian  country  to 
the  Arkansas  River  and  back  north  almost  to  the  Missouri 
River  and  return,  and  all  made  during  the  hottest  season 
of  the  year.  The  move  south  to  be  made  in  two  or  three 
weeks  required  preparation,  during  which  General  Scho- 
field's  Missouri  forces  would  hold  Southwest  Missouri. 

The  Indian  expedition  was  justified  by  the  results, 
even  if  greater  results  were  promised  at  one  time.  It  had 
enabled  the  Government  to  organize,  arm  and  equip  three 
full  regiments  of  Indians  for  the  defense  and  protection 
of  their  country,  and  who  would  be  valuable  allies  of  the 
white  troops  in  all  operations  along  the  eastern  border  of 
the  Territory,  in  protecting  the  right  flank  of  the  Federal 
forces. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  NEWTONIA  CAMPAIGN 

The  withdrawal  of  the  Federal  white  troops  from  the 
Indian  country  for  operations  against  the  enemy  in  the 
western  border  counties  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas  left  the 
Indian  regiments  in  possession  of  all  that  part  of  their  coun 
try  west  of  Grand  River  with  the  east  side  debatable  ground 
which  they  could  hold  when  the  regular  Federal  forces  were 
within  supporting  distance,  and  which  they  would  be  obliged 
to  evacuate  when  they  could  not  have  such  support.  It  was 
becoming  more  and  more  evident  to  the  Federal  military 
authorities  that  the  Indian  country  could  be  best  defended 
by  the  Federal  occupation  of  western  Missouri  and  western 
Arkansas,  and  that  the  Indians  who  had  espoused  the  Con 
federate  cause  would  become  aggressive  only  when  sup 
ported  by  white  troops,  who,  up  to  this  time  had  been 
thrown  into  the  Indian  country  from  Texas. 

In  a  short  time  after  the  retrograde  movement  of  the 
Indian  Expedition  commenced  at  Flat  Rock  towards  the 
northern  part  of  the  Territory,  Colonel  Cooper  command 
ing  the  Southern  forces  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Davis, 
consisting  of  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  regiment,  the 
Creek  regiment  and  Colonel  Watie's  regiment  of  Cherokees 
and  a  contingent  of  Texas  troops,  was  ordered  by  General 
Hindman  to  cross  to  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  River 
and  to  move  north  and  east  until  he  came  in  touch  with  the 
Missouri  Southern  forces  under  Shelby,  Rains  and  Cockrell, 
who  had  recently  been  pursued  by  the  Federal  forces  from 
Lone  Jack.  General  Pike,  who  had  been  in  command  of  the 
Indian  Department  before  and  after  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge 
up  to  July,  and,  in  fact,  until  he  resigned  in  November,  had 
been  making  his  headquarters  at  Fort  Ben  McCulloch  near 
Red  River  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Indian  Territory, 
nearly  two  hundred  miles  from  the  scene  of  active  opera 
tions,  and  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  his  depart- 

80 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  81 

ment  was  causing  much  complaint  among  his  subordinates, 
and  finally  General  Hindman  ordered  him  arrested  and 
brought  to  his  headquarters  if  he  undertook  to  do  certain 
things  he  had  proposed  in  his  correspondence. 

In  compliance  with  instructions  from  General  Hindman, 
General  Pike  turned  over  to  Colonel  Cooper  the  troops  and 
supplies  he  had  requested,  and  about  that  time  Pike  sent 
in  his  resignation,  but  President  Davis  did  not  accept  it  and 
he  returned  to  the  service,  to  the  command  of  his  depart 
ment,  and  remained  until  November,  when  he  resigned  again 
and  had  nothing  further  to  do  with  Indian  operations.  He 
was  accused  of  treason  to  the  Confederacy  and  of  being 
connected  with  a  secret  society  of  Unionists  of  Grayson  and 
Cook  counties,  Texas,  of  whom  forty-six,  after  a  form  of 
trial,  were  hung.  However,  he  was  never  tried  on  a  charge 
of  treason. 

When  General  Salomon  assumed  command  of  the  In 
dian  Expedition  and  commenced  the  retirement  of  the  army 
no  immediate  orders  or  instructions  were  sent  to  the  com 
manders  of  the  three  Indian  regiments  for  their  guidance 
in  future  operations,  and  Colonel  R.  W.  Furnas,  the  senior 
officer  among  them,  called  a  council  to  outline  a  policy  for 
their  immediate  future.  After  some  discussion  in  the  coun 
cil  it  was  decided  to  consolidate  the  three  regiments  into 
one  command  and  call  it  the  First  Indian  Brigade,  and 
Colonel  Furnas  was  designated  as  the  commander ;  the  opin 
ion  was  also  expressed  in  the  council  that  under  the  condi 
tions  then  existing  the  Indian  Brigade  could  hold  the  coun 
try  north  of  the  Arkansas  River  if  General  Salomon  would 
leave  with  it  a  battery  of  artillery  and  honor  their  requisi 
tions  for  subsistence  and  ammunition. 

Colonel  Furnas  at  once  called  on  General  Salomon  and 
laid  before  him  the  action  of  the  council,  and  he  agreed  to 
leave  with  the  Indians  one  section  of  the  First  Kansas  Bat 
tery  and  to  honor  their  requisitions  for  supplies  as  far  as 
practicable,  and  the  General  further  stated  that  it  was  not 


82  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

the  design  of  the  Department  Commander,  General  Blunt, 
to  withdraw  all  the  white  troops  from  the  Indian  country; 
that  those  then  being  withdrawn  were  being  used  in  an 
emergency  for  operations  in  the  western  border  counties  of 
Missouri  against  secessionists  who  were  entering  the  state 
in  large  numbers  from  the  South. 

On  assuming  command  of  the  Indian  Brigade  Colonel 
Furnas  made  disposition  of  his  forces  so  as  to  afford  pro 
tection  to  the  loyal  Indians  as  fully  as  possible;  he  sent  a 
force  of  two  or  three  hundred  men  to  occupy  Fort  Gibson, 
which  it  did  for  a  short  time,  a  day  or  two,  and  then  evac 
uated  the  place,  the  enemy  under  Colonel  Cooper  at  Fort 
Davis,  a  few  miles  distant,  threatening  to  cut  it  off.  He 
also  sent  out  a  larger  detachment  of  three  or  four  hundred 
men  under  the  command  of  Colonel  W.  A.  Phillips  of  the 
Third  Indian  regiment,  to  scout  the  country  between  Tahle- 
quah,  Parkhill  and  Fort  Gibson,  which  he  did,  and  came 
into  collision  with  a  hostile  force  of  Indians  equal  to  his 
own,  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Thomas  F.  Taylor  of  Colonel 
Watie's  regiment  of  Cherokees  at  Bayou  Manard  near  Fort 
Gibson,  and  after  a  sharp  engagement,  routed  the  enemy, 
killing  Colonel  Taylor,  Captain  Hicks  and  two  Choctaw  cap 
tains,  and  thirty-two  found  on  the  field,  besides  wounding, 
as  he  estimated,  upwards  of  fifty  men  of  the  hostile  force, 
who  were  carried  away  in  the  retreat. 

This  vigorous  action  of  Colonel  Phillips  alarmed  Colonel 
Cooper  and  he  ordered  all  his  detachments  scouting  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Arkansas  River  to  return  immediately  to 
the  south  side;  but  in  the  meantime  Colonel  Furnas  had  re 
tired  with  the  balance  of  his  brigade  to  Baxter  Springs  on 
the  northern  line  of  the  Territory,  and  Colonel  Phillips  was 
directed  to  join  him  there,  which  left  the  greater  part  of  the 
Indian  country  north  of  the  Arkansas  River  to  be  over -run 
by  the  Indian  forces  of  Cooper  in  a  short  time.  Large  num 
bers  of  Cherokee  and  Creek  families  who  had  declared  them 
selves  in  favor  of  the  Union  during  the  brief  occupation  of 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  83 

the  country  by  the  Federal  forces,  followed  closely  in  the 
rear  of  the  retiring  troops,  for  they  knew  they  would  soon 
be  the  victims  of  revenge  on  the  return  of  the  Indians  who 
had  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy,  if  they  at 
tempted  to  remain  at  home. 

The  families  of  the  Indian  soldiers  who  had  belonged 
to  Colonel  Drew's  Cherokee  regiment  until  Captain  Greeno 
visited  Tahlequah  and  Parkhill  and  then  left  it  and  almost 
immediately  en  masse  joined  Colonel  Phillips'  Third  Regi 
ment  Indian  Home  Guards,  would  be  the  especial  victims  of 
persecution  of  the  re-occupation  of  the  country  by  the  white 
and  Indian  Southern  forces,  which  was  certain  to  follow 
the  Federal  evacuation. 

These  loyal  Indian  families  who  had  commenced  prepar 
ing  to  raise  patches  of  corn  and  garden  vegetables  would 
now  have  to  leave  everything  of  that  nature  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  and  would  be  obliged,  when  they 
reached  the  northern  line  of  the  Territory  to  be  fed  and 
provided  for  by  the  Government  until  the  next  year;  but 
they  would  not  be  subjected  to  the  sufferings  and  hardships 
that  fell  upon  the  loyal  Indians  who  were  driven  from  their 
homes  the  previous  winter  under  the  leadership  of  Hopoeith- 
leyohola. 

When  the  Indian  Expedition  entered  the  Indian  coun 
try  the  Federal  troops  were  scarcely  ever  out  of  sight  of 
good  sized  herds  of  a  hundred  or  so  head  of  cattle  grazing 
on  the  prairies,  and  as  the  spring  had  been  seasonable,  they 
were  in  good  condition  and  made  good  beef  and  if  prudence 
had  been  exercised  by  the  commander  of  the  expedition  and 
his  chief  commissary  the  army  meat  bill  should  not  have 
cost  the  Government  one  cent,  for  probably  most  of  the  herds 
the  troops  saw  belonged  to  the  disloyal  Cherokees  who  had 
espoused  the  Confederate  cause  and  had  shared  in  the  spoils 
of  lost  property  sustained  by  the  loyal  Cherokees  in  their 
disastrous  retreat  to  Southern  Kansas  the  past  winter. 


84  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

It  was  common  talk  among  the  soldiers  that  the  beef 
contractor  for  the  Expedition  furnished  it  every  day  with 
full  rations  of  beef  without  making  any  new  purchases  for 
slaughter  and  without  decreasing  the  size  of  his  herd ;  but 
Colonel  Phillips  on  returning  from  his  expedition  to  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Gibson,  brought  out  a  large  herd  of  cattle 
with  his  command  and  estimated  that  this  stock  would  sup 
ply  the  refugee  Indian  families  and  the  troops  of  the  Ex 
pedition  with  beef  for  a  long  time,  and  recommended  that 
it  be  held  for  that  purpose  instead  of  being  sold  to  specula 
tors  for  a  nominal  price.  The  Indian  country  was  fairly 
well  watered  and  was  considered  the  best  grazing  region  in 
the  west,  and  the  live  stock  the  Indians  raised  up  to  the  war 
was  their  main  source  of  wealth,  but  they  would  certainly 
shortly  be  deprived  of  this  if  the  hostile  forces  of  both  sides 
alternately  occupied  and  marched  over  the  country,  taking 
such  supplies  as  they  could  find. 

On  the  return  of  the  troops  of  the  expedition  under 
General  Blunt  from  Fort  Scott  to  Lone  Jack,  and  the  pur 
suit  of  the  enemy  from  that  place  into  Southwest  Missouri, 
there  was  some  reorganization  at  Fort  Scott  of  the  Kansas 
forces  before  moving  south  again  about  the  first  of  Sep 
tember,  down  through  the  western  counties  of  Missouri, 
and  the  new  organization  of  the  Kansas  forces  was  called 
the  First  Divison  Army  of  the  Frontier,  and  was  divided 
into  three  brigades,  as  follows: 

First  Brigade,  commanded  by  Brigadier  General  F.  Salo 
mon,  consisted  of  the  Ninth  Wisconsin  Infantry;  Second 
Ohio  Cavalry;  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry;  Second  Indian  Regi 
ment  Home  Guards;  Major  Blair's  Second  Kansas  Battery; 
Captain  Stockton's  Battery,  manned  by  a  detachment  from 
the  Second  Ohio  Cavalry. 

Second  Brigade  commanded  by  Colonel  William  Weer, 
Tenth  Kansas  Volunteers,  consisted  of  the  Tenth  Kansas 
Infantry;  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry;  Third  Indian  Regiment 
Home  Guards ;  Allen's  First  Kansas  Battery  and  two  twelve 
pounder  howitzers  attached  to  the  Sixth  Kansas. 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  85 

Third  Brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel  William  F.  Cloud, 
Second  Kansas  Volunteers,  consisted  of  the  Second  Kansas 
Cavalry ;  First  Indian  Regiment  Home  Guards,  and  Captain 
Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Battery. 

All  the  information  received  through  scouts,  spies  and 
prisoners  by  General  James  Totten,  commanding  the  Dis 
trict  of  Southwest  Missouri,  at  Springfield,  and  General 
Blunt,  commanding  the  Department  of  Kansas,  convinced 
them  that  General  Hindman,  commanding  the  Southern 
forces  in  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory,  was  making  ex 
tensive  preparations  for  an  aggressive  campaign  into  Mis 
souri  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment;  that  he  was  then 
concentrating  in  Southwest  Missouri  and  Northwest  Ar 
kansas  and  along  the  line  of  the  Indian  Territory  large 
forces,  estimated  as  high  as  fifty  thousand  men,  from  Ar 
kansas,  Texas,  Missouri  and  the  Indian  country;  that  the 
Missouri  Southern  forces  were  already  in  Southwest  Mis 
souri  and  the  Indian  and  Texas  forces  under  Cooper  on  the 
Missouri  and  Arkansas  line  in  easy  supporting  distance  of 
each  other,  and  that  as  the  supplies  necessary  for  support 
ing  an  army  in  the  field  south  of  Missouri  had  become  ex 
hausted,  these  forces  had  become  desperate,  ragged  and  hun 
gry,  and  that  he  would  certainly  make  a  desperate  effort  to 
invade  Missouri  and  march  to  the  Missouri  River,  where  he 
proposed  to  winter  his  army,  and  where  he  believed  that  he 
would  receive  large  accessions  to  his  army  in  recruits  and 
abundant  supplies  to  maintain  it ;  that  the  state  was  consid 
ered  the  granary  for  the  Southern  Army  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  and  could  furnish  it  lead  from  the  Granby  Mines  to 
make  small  arms  ammunition  to  an  unlimited  extent. 

As  the  Southern  Army  had  been  driven  out  of  the  state 
the  latter  part  of  the  winter,  the  people  of  Southwest  Mis 
souri  had  raised  good  crops  of  corn,  wheat,  oats,  and  apples 
in  their  orchards,  all  of  which  made  a  tempting  prize  for 
the  Confederate  leaders  to  get  possession  of  in  their  des 
perate  straits,  but  which  was  not  to  be  yielded  up  by  the 


86  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Federal  forces  without  a  struggle  that  would  tax  their  re 
sources  to  the  utmost  degree. 

While  General  Blunt  was  reorganizing  his  forces  and 
remounting  his  cavalry  at  Fort  Scott,  after  his  return  from 
the  Lone  Jack  Expedition,  General  Hindman  met  the  re 
treating  Missouri  Southern  forces  of  Cockrell,  Shelby  and 
Coffee  from  Lone  Jack,  in  Benton  county,  Arkansas,  and 
after  a  conference  with  these  Southern  leaders,  determined 
to  push  these  troops,  re-enforced  by  several  regiments  of 
Choctaws  and  Chickasaws,  back  into  Southwest  Missouri 
before  the  Federal  forces  under  General  Blunt  could  ad 
vance  south  again.  In  this  movement  of  General  Hindman 
he  was  able  to  occupy  with  Texans,  Indians  and  Missouri 
Southern  forces  Neosho,  Newtonia  and  Pineville  and  to 
requisition  the  mills  of  Newton  and  McDonald  counties  and 
set  them  in  operation  making  flour  and  meal  for  his  troops 
who  were  employed  in  hauling  in  wheat  and  corn  taken  from 
the  citizens  of  that  section. 

Generals  Blunt  and  Totten  were  maintaining  communi 
cation  with  each  other  and  had  arranged  for  co-operation 
of  their  forces  to  meet  and  drive  back  the  forces  of  Hindman 
before  they  advanced  farther  into  the  state.  General  Blunt 
had  made  such  progress  in  the  reorganization  and  refitting 
of  his  troops  at  Fort  Scott  that  he  was  able  the  last  of 
August  to  order  the  Second  Brigade  under  Colonel  Weer, 
except  the  Third  Indian  Regiment  under  Colonel  Phillips, 
operating  from  his  camp  on  the  west  side  of  Spring  River 
near  the  mouth  of  Shoal  Creek,  to  Carthage,  and  to  keep 
himself  advised  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy  in  front 
and  on  his  flanks,  particularly  if  they  should  attempt  to 
pass  around  either  flank. 

The  Brigades  of  General  Salomon  and  Colonel  Cloud, 
except  the  Indian  Regiments  near  Baxter  Springs,  were 
to  go  forward  in  a  few  days  and  take  up  positions  in  co 
operation  with  the  troops  of  General  Totten  at  and  near 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  87 

Mt.  Vernon,  under  General  Brown,  to  prevent  Confederate 
detachments  from  passing  north  at  any  point  west  of 
Springfield. 

Southwest  Missouri  was  becoming  an  armed  camp  of 
belligerent  forces,  and  as  soon  as  the  Confederate  forcee 
concentrated  in  considerable  strength,  it  was  the  design 
of  Generals  Schofield  and  Blunt  to  move  against  them  and 
test  their  ability  to  hold  the  ground  they  were  occupying 
in  southwest  Missouri,  as  it  was  believed  that  their 
strength  had  been  greatly  exaggerated  according  to  in 
formation  derived  from  prisoners  taken  and  questioned  and 
from  other  sources. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  Colonel  Phillips  was  at  Neo- 
sho  with  part  of  his  Third  Indian  Regiment  and  reported 
to  General  Blunt  and  Colonel  Weer  that  he  had  been  there 
and  in  that  vicinity  several  days  keeping  in  touch  with  the 
enemy,  all  Missourians,  skirmishing  with  them  and  ma 
neuvering  to  force  them,  if  they  designed  to  attack  him, 
to  do  so  at  a  disadvantage  as  to  time  and  position;  but 
that  they  hesitated,  indicating  that  they  were  not  in 
readiness,  and  were  preparing  to  concentrate  a  larger  force 
against  him  than  that x which  had  been  threatening. 

Hearing  of  the  critical  position  of  Colonel  Phillips  at 
Neosho,  Colonel  Weer  directed  Colonel  Judson,  with  the 
Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  to  re-enforce  him,  and  while  en  route 
met  him  retiring  and  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  who 
had  also  been  largely  re-enforced.  A  couple  rounds  of 
shells  from  a  section  of  Allen's  First  Kansas  Rifled  Bat 
tery  thrown  among  them  sent  them  scurrying  to  the  rear, 
and  the  command  continued  its  retirement  and  joined  the 
balance  of  the  brigade  near  Carthage.  At  this  place  the 
information  received  by  Colonel  Weer  from  General  Totten 
at  Springfield  and  from  other  sources  was  puzzling.  It 
was  to  the  effect  that  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  was  on 
the  march  to  attack  Springfield,  or  to  turn  his  position  on 
the  west  in  a  northward  movement,  and  requesting  him 


88  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

to  make  a  forced  march  in  the  direction  of  Greenfield  to 
head  them  off  with  co-operating  forces  of  General  Brown 
at  Mt.  Vernon. 

The  forced  march  was  made  by  Colonel  Weer's  Brigade 
in  a  northeast  direction  to  Sach  and  Turnback  Creeks,  ten 
to  twelve  miles  north  of  Mt.  Vernon,  when  the  Colonel  re 
ceived  a  dispatch  from  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
Missouri  forces  that  the  enemy  had  not  yet  advanced ;  were 
still  at  Newtonia  and  other  points  in  Newton  and  McDon 
ald  counties,  gathering  up  wheat  and  corn  and  using  the 
mills  in  making  flour  and  meal  for  subsistence.  The  dan 
ger  of  a  turning  movement  by  the  enemy  having  been 
based  on  incorrect  information,  the  Kansas  Brigade  about 
faced  and  marched  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where  it  found  part  of 
a  brigade  of  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  some  other  detach 
ments  of  General  Totten's  forces,  and  after  a  day's  rest, 
continued  the  march  to  Sarcoxie,  eighteen  miles  west,  and 
encamped  there  and  west  of  the  place  for  more  than  two 
weeks. 

While  there  the  Brigades  of  General  Salomon  and  Col 
onel  Cloud  came  up  and  the  Federal  forces  held  a  front 
from  Sarcoxie  to  the  Kansas  line,  with  intervals  of  only 
a  few  miles  between  encampments.  The  Indian  Regiments 
occupied  the  extreme  right,  resting  on  Spring  River,  and 
daily  mounted  detachments  were  sent  out  under  competent 
officers  from  each  brigade  to  watch  and  report  the  move 
ments  of  the  enemy. 

After  the  middle  of  September,  Colonel  Cooper,  com 
manding  the  effective  forces  of  the  Confederates  of  the 
Indian  Trritory,  consisting  of  four  or  five  regiments  of 
Texans,  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws,  and  Creeks  and 
Cherokees,  of  seven  or  eight  thousand  men  and  several 
batteries  of  artillery,  crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  Ar 
kansas  River,  and  moved  north  along  the  Arkansas  and 
Territory  line,  to  Maysville  and  to  Scott's  Mills  in  Mc 
Donald  County,  Missouri,  where  he  came  into  communica- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  89 

tion  with  the  Missouri  Southern  forces  of  Rains,  Cockrell, 
Shelby  and  Coffee,  and  soon  arranged  for  co-operation  of 
their  forces  against  the  common  foe.  On  his  arrival  at  the 
Elk  Mills,  Colonel  Cooper  sent  Colonel  T.  C.  Hawpe,  of  the 
Thirty-First  Texas  Cavalry  on  a  reconnoissance  north  along 
the  Line  Road  as  far  as  the  neighborhood  of  Baxter 
Springs,  as  a  protection  to  his  left  flank  in  any  further  ad 
vance  north. 

In  his  advance  north  Colonel  Hawpe  located  the  camp 
of  the  Second  Regiment  Indian  Home  Guards  commanded 
by  Colonel  John  Ritchie,  at  Shirley's  Ford,  on  Spring  River, 
and  on  the  morning  of  September  20th,  about  eight  o'clock, 
fired  upon  and  drove  in  the  Indian  pickets,  causing  a  panic 
among  the  fifteen  hundred  women  and  children;  but  the 
Colonel  soon  rallied  his  Indian  soldiers  and  after  a  sharp 
action  of  about  half  an  hour  routed  the  enemy,  and  killed, 
as  he  reported,  two  captains  and  twenty  men  and  cap 
tured  their  flag.  He  reported  the  Union  Indians  loss  at 
sixteen  enlisted  men  and  one  officer  killed  and  nine 
wounded.  The  officer  killed  was  Captain  George  Scraper, 
while  leading  his  men. 

Colonel  Cloud  with  three  mounted  companies  and  two 
howitzers,  arrived  at  Colonel  Ritchie's  camp  the  day  after 
the  action  and  advanced  some  distance  south  of  it,  but  the 
enemy  having  accomplished  the  purpose  of  his  reconnois 
sance  returned  to  his  main  command  at  Elk  Mills. 

The  Confederate  forces  were  now  within  supporting 
distance  of  each  other  in  southwest  Missouri,  having  moved 
up  and  occupied  Neosho,  Granby  and  Newtonia,  and  the 
Federal  forces  from  Fort  Scott  and  Springfield  had  moved 
forward  and  occupied  positions  southeast,  east  and  north 
of  the  enemy,  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  in  his  front.  While 
these  operations  were  going  forward  General  Curtis  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Department  of  Missouri, 
relieving  General  Schofield,  who  took  command  of  the 
troops  in  the  field,  and  he  hastened  to  Springfield  to  or- 


90  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ganize  his  forces  for  an  aggressive  campaign  against  the 
enemy  who  were  threatening  an  invasion  of  the  state. 

On  his  arrival  at  Springfield,  he  assigned  General  Tot- 
ten  to  the  command  of  the  Second  Division  of  the  Army, 
and  directed  him  to  move  forward  on  the  Neosho  road  to 
the  vicinity  of  Big  Spring,  the  head  of  Spring  River,  south 
west  of  Mt.  Vernon,  and  from  that  point  communicate  with 
General  Blunt's  forces  under  General  Salomon  and  Colonel 
Weer  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Sarcoxie;  but  not  to  bring 
on  an  engagement  unless  the  advantages  were  decidedly  in 
his  favor,  with  the  Kansas  forces  in  perfect  co-operation. 
General  Schofield  desired  to  hold  the  enemy  in  south 
west  Missouri  until  he  could  collect  other  and  additional 
forces  and  resources  at  Springfield  and  then  move  for 
ward,  unite  his  forces  and  assume  command,  and  with  Gen 
eral  Blunt's  Division  co-operating,  push  the  enemy  from 
Newtonia  and  from  southwest  Missouri  into  Arkansas.    The 
latter  part  of  September  Colonel  Weer's  Second  Brigade 
was  encamped  a  week  or  more  on  Jenkins  Creek,  six  or 
seven  miles  west  of  Sarcoxie,  but  toward  the  end  of  the 
month  General  Salomon  received  information  that  led  him 
to  believe  that  the  enemy  was  preparing  to  attack  him  at 
Sarcoxie,  the  home  of  General  Rains,  and  directed  Colonel 
Weer  to  move  up  with  his  brigade  and  join  him  and  be  in 
position  to  meet  the  enemy.     General  Blunt  was  detained 
at  Fort  Scott  a  few  days   collecting  and  preparing  for 
active  service  at  the  front,  several  new  regiments  organized 
in  the  state,  and  when  in  readiness  to  go  forward  and  take 
command  of  his  division  in  person  and  in  co-operation  with 
General  Schofield,  make  a  vigorous  campaign  against  the 
enemy  until  he  was  driven  out  of  the  state. 

On  the  29th  General  Salomon  ordered  a  reconnoissance 
of  a  cavalry  force,  in  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Jewell,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  in  the  direction  of  Neosho 
and  Granby,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  reliable  informa 
tion  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  Colonel  Jewell  re- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War.  91 

ported  that  when  he  passed  through  Granby  that  a  Texas 
Regiment  and  a  force  of  Indians  were  just  ahead  of  him 
en  route  to  Newtonia,  where  a  large  force  of  Missourians, 
Texans  and  Indians  were  concentrating.  On  the  same  day 
Colonel  E.  Lynde,  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry,  was  directed  to 
take  four  companies  of  his  regiment  and  two  howitzers 
under  Lieutenant  H.  H.  Opdyke,  and  make  a  reconnois- 
sance  to  Newtonia,  tweve  miles  south,  to  ascertain  the 
strength  and  position  of  the  enemy.  He  advanced  about 
eight  miles,  crossed  Shoal  Creek,  and  passing  nearly  a 
mile  of  timber,  came  upon  the  prairie  and  encountered  the 
enemy  picket  guard,  which  fled  on  the  approach  of  his 
column  and  which  he  pursued  almost  to  the  village  and 
until  they  joined  the  main  body  posted  about  Colonel 
Ritchey's  stone  barn  and  behind  the  stone  fences  on  each 
side  of  the  lane  that  led  up  to  the  town. 

In  pursuit  of  the  pickets  Colonel  Lynde  noticed  an  out 
post  of  the  enemy  at  a  house  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  his 
left  and  not  wishing  to  leave  them  on  his  flank  and  rear, 
directed  Lieutenant  Opdyke  to  throw  a  couple  rounds  of 
shells  from  his  howitzers  among  them,  which  he  did,  dis 
persing  them.  He  then  moved  forward  to  the  front  of 
the  enemy  position,  but  not  near  enough  to  give  him  the 
advantage  of  screening  his  movements  behind  them,  and 
ordered  Lieutenant  Opdyke  to  open  upon  them  with  shell 
from  his  howitzers.  Colonel  Lynde  did  not  press  the 
reconnoissance  further.  He  made  such  observations  as 
were  practicable ;  a  prisoner  was  taken  and  brought  to  him 
from  whom  he  ascertained  that  there  were  2,600  Con 
federates  posted  in  and  about  the  town  with  two  pieces 
of  artillery,  and  that  other  Confederate  troops  were  on  the 
march  to  that  place,  and  being  unable  to  draw  them  out, 
he  gave  them  several  rounds  of  shells  from  his  howitzers 
and  then  started  back  on  his  return  march  to  make  a  re 
port  on  the  situation  as  he  found  it. 


92  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War, 

The  troops  of  General  Salomon  hearing  the  sound  of 
cannon  in  the  afternoon  in  the  direction  of  Newtonia,  he 
ordered  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jacobi,  with  four  companies  of 
the  Ninth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  two  companies  of  the  Sixth 
Kansas  Cavalry  under  Captain  David  Mefford,  about  fifty 
men  of  the  Third  Indian  Regiment,  and  a  section  of  Cap 
tain  J.  Stockton's  Battery  to  move  out  on  the  Newtonia 
road  to  re-enforce  Colonel  Lynde.  About  three  miles  out 
from  Sarcoxie,  Colonel  Jacobi  met  Colonel  Lynde  return 
ing  from  Newtonia  with  his  command,  and  he  marched 
into  camp  and  reported  to  General  Salomon  the  result  of 
his  reconnoissance,  while  Colonel  Jacobi  enterpreted  his 
instructions  as  authorizing  him  to  continue  his  advance  to 
the  vicinty  of  Newtonia  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoitering 
the  enemy  position,  ascertain  his  strength  and  secure  in 
formation  that  would  give  a  probably  accurate  forecast  of 
his  intentions.  Colonel  Jacobi  resumed  the  march  after 
meeting  Colonel  Lynde  and  soon  struck  the  timber  on 
Shoal  Creek,  which  extended  four  or  five  miles,  and  cross 
ing  the  stream  encamped  on  the  south  side  near  the  edge 
of  the  prairie  at  dark,  three  or  four  miles  northwest  of 
Newtonia.  He  was  re-enforced  by  two  more  companies 
of  his  regiment  during  the  night.  Colonel  Lynde  was  also 
directed  by  General  Salomon  to  return  with  his  command 
to  Newtonia,  and  leaving  Sarcoxie  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  September  30th,  overtook  Colonel  Jacobi  at 
six  o'clock  in  front  of  the  village  skirmishing  with  the 
enemy  who  were  posted  behind  the  stone  fences.  Captain 
Mefford,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  was  driving  in  their  out 
posts  on  his  left  and  had  taken  several  prisoners. 

Colonel  Lynde,  having  arrived,  assumed  command  of 
the  Federal  forces  and  made  dispositions  to  develop  the 
forces  of  the  enemy  who,  up  to  this  time,  were  mostly  con 
cealed  behind  the  stone  fences,  stone  barns  and  buildings 
and  orchards  in  the  village.  He  ordered  up  Lieutenant 
Masterson  with  a  section  of  the  Second  Indiana  Battery  to 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  93 

the  center  to  open  fire  upon  the  enemy  about  the  stone 
barn  and  at  other  points  where  they  could  be  seen  in  con 
siderable  numbers,  and  directed  Captain  Mefford,  re-en 
forced  by  Captain  Thatcher's  company  of  the  Ninth  Kan 
sas  Cavalry,  to  press  the  attack  on  the  left,  while  Colonel 
Jacobi  with  his  infantry  moved  forward  from  the  center 
to  a  wooded  ravine  near  the  stone  fence. 

In  a  moment  the  enemy  replied  with  two  pieces  of 
artillery  near  the  stone  barn  to  Lieutenant  Masterson's 
section,  but  without  doing  any  damage.  On  approaching 
the  stone  fence  Colonel  Jacobi's  infantry  came  under  a 
heavy  rifle  fire  from  the  enemy  Indians  concealed  and 
posted  behind  the  stone  fence,  and  as  his  men  could  not 
effectively  reach  the  foe  with  their  rifles,  ordered  them  to 
retire  out  of  range,  after  having  several  men  wounded  by 
the  fusillade. 

It  was  now  evident  to  Colonel  Lynde  that  he  could  not 
take  the  town  by  assault  without  making  too  great  a  sacri 
fice  of  his  small  force,  not  exceeding  five  hundred  men, 
and  he  ordered  a  retirement,  and  before  the  high  ground 
in  the  prairie  northwest  of  town  was  reached,  noticed  the 
enemy  swarming  out  in  large  numbers  from  their  con 
cealed  positions  to  cut  off  his  infantry  and  capture  his 
guns,  while  large  forces  of  white  and  Indian  troops, 
mounted,  were  coming  up  on  his  flanks  to  cut  off  his  re 
treat  before  he  could  get  well  into  the  timber,  and  it  was 
here  that  his  howitzers  and  field  guns  were  brought  into 
effective  use,  dispersing  the  enemy  with  shot  and  shell 
and  grape,  when  they  came  in  range.  The  Confederates 
were  so  persistent  in  their  efforts  to  capture  the  entire 
force  under  Colonel  Lynde,  and  were  pressing  so  closely 
on  his  flanks  and  rear  that  he  was  obliged  to  form  and 
reform  his  cavalry  on  each  side  of  the  road  to  hold  them 
back  and  let  the  infantry  and  artillery  pass  on,  after 
firing:  their  volleys. 


94  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

It  was  after  his  troops  got  into  the  timber  that  the 
fighting  became  the  hardest,  and  it  was  here  that  Colonel 
Lynde  sustained  his  heaviest  losses.  His  infantry,  in 
endeavoring  to  hold  the  enemy  and  save  the  guns  were  en 
tirely  surrounded  and  149  enlisted  men  and  officers  cap 
tured,  and  the  remnant  and  the  artillery  saved  only  by 
Captain  Mefford  forming  and  having  his  men  fire  volleys 
from  their  Sharp's  carbines  into  the  enemy  ranks  formed 
across  the  road  in  his  front,  each  volley  causing  a  dispersal 
of  the  enemy  and  an  opening  that  allowed  his  troopers  to 
pass  through. 

The    Confederates    kept    up    the   pursuit   of   Colonel 
Lynde's  force  almost  to  Shoal  Creek.    Here  re-enforcements 
from  Sarcoxie  came  up  under  Colonel  Judson,  Sixth  Kansas 
Cavalry,  and  two  howitzers,  and  drove  them  back  to  New- 
tonia.    Early  in  the  morning  the  troops  at  Sarcoxie  heard 
cannon  firing  in  the  direction  of  Newtonia,  indicating  that 
the  forces  sent  out  during  the  night  and  the  evening  be 
fore  under  Colonel  Lynde  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jacobi 
were  engaged  with  the  enemy.     General  Salomon  at  once 
ordered  forward  to  the  support  of  the  troops  at  the  front, 
the  effective  men  in  camp  of  the  First  and  Second  Bri 
gades,  except  some  four  hundred  Indians  and  a  battery  of 
artillery  left  to  guard  the  trains.    The  cannon  firing  con 
tinued  at  short  intervals  and  the  General  ordered  Colonel 
Judson  and  Colonel  Phillips  with  their  regiments,  the  Sixth 
Kansas  and  Third  Indian,  to  proceed  to  the  battle  field  at 
a  trot,  while  he  accompanied  and  brought  up  the  infantry 
and   artillery.     A   short  distance   north   of  Shoal    Creek 
Colonel  Judson  met  a  few  men  of  the  Ninth  Kansas  Cav 
alry  and  Ninth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  two  howitzers  and  a 
section  of  Stockton's  Battery  in  full  retreat,  and  the  officer 
with  them  informed  him  that  Colonel  Lynde,  with  part  of 
his  regiment  and  Captain  Mefford  were  surrounded  by  the 
enemy. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  95 

Pushing  on  Colonel  Judson  soon  came  to  the  scene  of 
the  recent  fighting  and  saw  beside  the  road  in  the  timber 
the  bodies  of  eight  to  ten  men  of  the  Ninth  Wisconsin 
Infantry  who  had  been  killed  and  stripped  of  their  cloth 
ing  and  exposed  in  the  hot  sun,  and  continuing  to  advance 
with  caution  he  came  in  sight  of  the  enemy  drawn  up  in 
line  near  the  edge  of  the  prairie.  He  then  ordered  Lieu 
tenant  Benedict  up  with  his  two  howitzers,  attached  to 
the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  to  open  on  the  enemy  with 
shell,  which  he  did,  causing  them  to  fall  back.  They  were 
pursued  to  Newtonia,  and  Colonel  Judson  skirmished  with 
them  and  held  them  about  three  hours  and  until  Colonel 
Phillips  arrived  on  the  field  about  two  o'clock  with  the 
Third  Indian  Regiment  and  took  up  a  position  on  the  left 
along  a  branch  that  ran  north  and  that  had  a  plum  thicket, 
brush  and  timber  on  it. 

These  positions  were  maintained  until  the  infantry 
and  artillery  under  General  Salomon  and  Colonel  Weer 
arrived  about  three  o'clock  and  took  up  a  position  on  the 
heights  of  a  ridge  in  the  prairie  overlooking  the  little  town 
a  mile  distant,  and  in  which,  with  the  aid  of  field  glasses, 
the  enemy  could  be  seen  moving  about  in  considerable 
numbers.  The  foliage  of  the  shade  trees  in  town,  however, 
obscured  the  view  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  make  out 
details  of  movements. 

The  artillery  coming  up,  the  batteries  took  positions 
on  the  crest  of  the  ridge  supported  by  the  Tenth  Kansas 
Infantry,  and  in  a  short  time  the  rifled  guns  of  Allen's 
Battery  were  throwing  a  stream  of  percussion  shells  into 
and  around  the  stone  barn,  where  one  of  the  Confederate 
batteries  was  located,  bursting  and  killing  and  wounding 
men  and  horses.  But  the  battery  was  not  long  idle;  it 
was  soon  exchanging  compliments  with  the  Federal  bat 
teries,  sending  shell  for  shell  with  them;  many,  however, 
bursting  in  mid-air  before  reaching  the  Federal  position. 

While  the  Federal  batteries  were  shelling  the  enemy 


96  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

position  in  town  and  any  Confederate  mounted  forces  ex 
posed  to  view,  Colonel  Phillips  with  his  Indians  in  the 
brush  and  timber  along  the  branch  north  of  town  were 
sharply  engaged  with  the  enemy,  who  were  apparently 
making  an  effort  to  turn  General  Salomon's  left  flank, 
and  in  this  action  Captain  Webber  was  killed  and  two 
officers  and  fifteen  men  wounded.  On  the  Federal  right 
Colonel  Judson  was  sent  out  with  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry 
as  far  south  as  the  Neosho  road  to  meet  a  movement  of 
Colonel  Jean's  Missouri  and  Colonel  Steven's  Texas  Cav 
alry,  which  threatened  to  flank  General  Salomon's  position 
on  the  right. 

The  movements  of  the  two  Confederate  regiments  as 
they  marched  out  of  the  village  on  the  Neosho  road  were 
observed  by  General  Salomon  and  Colonel  Weer  from  the 
position  occupied  by  their  infantry  and  artillery  on  the 
ridge,  and  they  noticed  with  satisfaction  the  steadiness 
with  which  Colonel  Judson  advanced  southeast  over  the 
prairie  in  line  of  battle  to  meet  the  hostile  forces.  When 
the  Confederate  regiments  marched  out  of  town,  passed 
the  stone  fences  and  came  out  upon  the  prairie,  they 
wheeled  into  line  and  advanced  facing  the  Sixth  Kansas, 
and  when  the  hostile  forces  were  within  range,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Jewell,  who  was  in  immediate  command  of  the 
Kansas  regiment,  ordered  his  men  to  give  them  a  volley 
from  their  Sharp's  carbines,  which  had  the  effect  of  mak 
ing  the  enemy  break,  and  they  wheeled  and  returned  pre 
cipitately  to  their  position  in  town,  pursued  by  the  Kan- 
sans  until  they  come  to  near  the  mouth  of  the  lane  and 
within  rifle  range  of  the  stone  fences. 

Having  spent  the  afternoon  in  fighting  and  maneuver 
ing  and  failing  to  draw  the  enemy  out  from  his  strong 
position  behind  buildings  and  stone  fences,  and  having 
instructions  from  Generals  Schofield  and  Blunt  not  to 
bring  on  a  general  engagement  unless  he  felt  certain  of 
success,  General  Salomon  at  sunset  withdrew  his  forces 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  97 

from  the  field  and  returned  to  his  encampment  at  Sar- 
coxie.  He  was  disappointed  in  not  receiving  the  re-en 
forcements  of  Colonel  George  H.  Hall,  Fourth  Brigade 
Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry  of  General  Brown's  com 
mand  encamped  on  Center  Creek  six  miles  southeast  of 
Sarcoxie,  but  he  had  not  made  his  dispatch  to  Colonel  Hall 
for  re-enforcements  and  co-operation  very  definite,  and  as 
a  consequence  the  Colonel  did  not  arrive  on  the  field  with 
his  brigade  of  cavalry  and  Captain  Murphy's  Battery, 
First  Missouri  Light  Artillery,  until  dusk,  just  as  General 
Salomon's  forces  were  withdrawing  and  entering  the  timber 
skirting  Shoal  Creek.  Here  Colonel  Hall  formed  his  cav 
alry  in  the  timber  and  masked  his  battery  near  the  prairie, 
and  allowed  General  Salomon's  forces,  part  of  whom  had 
been  engaged  all  day  and  were  tired  and  thirsty  for  water, 
to  pass  to  the  rear  through  his  line,  and  waited  for  the 
enemy,  who  soon  appeared  in  the  deep  dusk  of  the  evening 
on  the  ridge  in  the  prairie  in  a  long  line  that  covered  the 
visible  horizon  that  touched  the  prairie,  having  mounted 
and  followed  closely  the  retiring  Federal  forces  from  the 
field. 

The  advancing  enemy  passing  over  the  crest  of  the 
ridge  could  not  see  Colonel  Hall's  command  formed  in  the 
timber  for  the  heavy  foliage  and  the  coming  on  of  dark 
ness,  while  the  Federal  troops  could  see  with  perfect  dis 
tinctness  the  masses  of  the  enemy  as  they  passed  the  sky 
line  on  the  ridge,  and  they  made  excellent  target  practice 
for  the  gunners  of  Captain  Murphy's  battery  in  the  edge 
of  the  timber,  the  men  standing  by  their  guns  loaded  with 
shell  in  readiness  to  fire  the  moment  the  command  was 
given.  When  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge  the  Confederate 
batteries  fired  several  rounds  of  shells  into  the  timber, 
and  then  in  a  moment  a  flame  of  fire  leaped  from  the  guns 
of  Captain  Murphy's  Battery  F,  First  Missouri  Light 
Artillery,  sending  bursting  shells  into  the  ranks  of  the 
enemy  in  rapid  succession,  causing  them,  before  they  had 


98  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

approached  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  timber  to 
turn  in  headlong  flight  back  to  Newtonia. 

The  mounted  force  of  General  Salomon's  command 
formed  in  the  rear  of  Colonel  Hall's  Brigade,  and  when  the 
action  was  over  and  the  enemy  in  flight  to  Newtonia,  re 
tired  on  the  road  to  Sarcoxie,  and  after  crossing  Shoal 
Creek,  bivouacked  in  the  timber  to  be  drenched  by  rain 
that  fell  during  the  night. 

The  troops  of  General  Salomon  and  Colonel  Hall  re 
turned  to  the  positions  they  occupied  before  making  the 
reconnoissance  and  commenced  preparations  for  a  move 
ment  in  a  few  days  that  would  determine  whether  the 
enemy  would  be  able  to  hold  his  position  in  Southwest 
Missouri  much  longer. 

On  the  3rd  of  October,  General  Schofield  arrived  from 
Springfield  to  take  command  of  all  the  troops  facing  the 
enemy  at  Newtonia,  and  brought  additional  forces  and 
artillery  belonging  to  General  Totten's  Division.  General 
Blunt  arrived  from  Fort  Scott  to  take  command  of  the 
First  Division,  called  in  the  early  stages  of  the  campaign, 
"The  Army  of  Kansas." 

Generals  Schofield  and  Blunt  had  a  conference  and 
arranged  the  plan  of  operations  to  commence  on  the  morn 
ing  of  October  4th,  that  would  compel  General  Cooper  to 
fight  at  Newtonia  or  evacuate  the  place. 

As  provided  in  the  plan,  General  Schofield  advanced 
with  the  two  divisions  of  Totten  and  Brown,  who  were  en 
camped  about  the  same  distance  from  Newtonia  as  were 
Blunt's  troops  at  Sarcoxie,  to  attack  the  enemy  in  their 
position  from  the  east  and  southeast,  and  General  Blunt 
advanced  south  on  the  Sarcoxie  and  Newtonia  road,  send 
ing  part  of  his  mounted  troops  west  of  that  road  via 
Granby,  to  attack  from  the  north  and  northwest,  the  com 
bined  forces  to  keep  in  touch  from  the  time  of  starting 
out  until  they  came  upon  the  field  for  the  assault. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  99 

The  movement  worked  like  clockwork.  All  the  Fed 
eral  troops,  cavalry,  infantry  and  artillery  and  ambulances 
were  in  their  designated  positions  on  three  sides  of  the 
enemy  by  ten  o'clock,  and  on  the  firing  of  a  signal  gun  the 
attack  opened  with  an  intense  artillery  fire  of  shot  and 
shell  upon  the  enemy  in  Newtonia  from  the  battery  of 
every  brigade  of  the  combined  forces,  thirty-six  field  guns 
and  four  twelve-pounder  howitzers,  knocking  gun  carriages 
and  caissons  to  splinters  and  killing  and  wounding  nearly 
all  the  horses  of  some  of  the  enemy  batteries.  After  the 
artillery  had  played  upon  the  enemy  position  for  less  than 
half  an  hour,  Generals  Schofield  and  Blunt  ordered  their 
troops  forward,  and  with  flags  flying,  from  the  extreme 
left  to  the  extreme  right  they  advanced,  with  the  inten 
tion  of  coming  to  close  quarters  with  the  enemy;  seeing 
which,  and  that  his  line  of  retreat  was  threatened  by  the 
rapid  advance  of  the  Federal  cavalry  towards  his  rear, 
Colonel  Cooper  ordered  a  hasty  retreat  in  a  southwest 
direction  until  he  struck  the  Neosho  and  Pineville  road 
on  which  his  trains  were  moving  south. 

General  Schofield  ordered  his  cavalry  in  pursuit  at 
once,  and  during  the  day  overtook  the  enemy  rear  guard 
who  appeared  to  have  the  fight  taken  out  of  them  and 
fled  on  sight  of  the  Federal  advance,  and  next  day  the 
whole  Confederate  force  that  had  been  threatening  to 
advance  into  central  Missouri  passed  into  Arkansas  and 
the  Indian  Territory  in  a  demoralized  condition,  and  took 
with  it  nearly  all  the  guerrilla  bands  of  western  Missouri. 

In  the  action  on  the  30th,  the  Federal  losses  were 
fifteen  killed  and  thirty-two  wounded;  on  the  4th  there 
were  no  Federal  losses.  General  Cooper  reported  the 
Confederate  losses  at  seventy-five  killed  and  wounded. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  CANE  HILL  CAMPAIGN 

The  evacuation  of  Newtonia  by  the  Confederates  left 
the  offensive  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Federal  forces 
and  ended  the  campaign  in  Southwest  Missouri;  but  it  was 
the  design  of  General  Curtis,  the  new  Department  Com 
mander,  to  push  the  operations  in  Northwest  Arkansas  until 
the  enemy  were  driven  south  of  the  Boston  Mountains  and 
into  the  Arkansas  Valley. 

General  Hindman  was  not  in  immediate  command  of 
the  Confederate  forces  at  Newtonia,  being  detained  at  Lit 
tle  Rock  in  connection  with  the  defense  of  that  place,  which 
was  being  threatened  by  the  Federal  forces  of  General 
Steele,  operating  in  Northeastern  Arkansas.  It  was  known 
to  the  Federal  commander  that  General  Hindman  was  mak 
ing  every  possible  effort  to  raise  new  levies  under  the  con 
scription  act,  from  Arkansas,  Missouri  and  Texas  and  bring 
them  to  the  support  of  his  forces  just  driven  out  of  South 
west  Missouri  into  Northwestern  Arkansas  and  Indian  Ter 
ritory  in  a  demoralized  condition. 

While  his  cavalry  were  pursuing  the  broken  forces  of 
the  enemy  into  the  rough,  hilly  region  of  McDonald  county, 
Missouri,  and  into  Arkansas,  General  Schofield  ordered  his 
infantry,  artillery,  cavalry  and  baggage  and  supply  trains 
forward  to  convenient  places  for  encampment.  The  divi 
sions  of  Generals  Totten  and  Brown  moved  to  positions 
southeast  of  Newtonia  near  the  Wire  Road  from  Spring 
field  to  Fayetteville,  and  General  Blunt's  First  Division 
moved  to  Indian  Springs  on  Indian  Creek,  southwest  of 
Newtonia,  where  it  remained  several  days  on  account  of 
rainy  weather,  but  kept  out  scouting  detachments  on  his 
front  and  right  well  in  the  direction  of  the  Indian  Territory, 
to  look  out  for  and  give  notice  of  any  raiding  force  of  the 
enemy  attempting  to  move  north  around  his  right  flank, 

100 


The  Uni&n  Indian  Brigade  ifytfet$fv$W.qr*'I  .'.   '  '*101 


After  General  Blunt's  forces  moved  from  Fort  Scott  into 
Southwest  Missouri  in  the  early  part  of  September,  it  was 
generally  called  the  Army  of  Kansas,  and  the  Missouri 
forces  under  General  Schofield  from  Springfield  co-operat 
ing  with  the  Kansas  forces  in  that  section  against  the  enemy 
were  called  the  Army  of  Southwest  Missouri,  and  the  com 
bined  forces  had  co-operated  so  effectively  in  driving  the 
enemy  from  their  strong  position  at  Newtonia  into  Arkan 
sas  that  General  Curtis  issued  an  order  denominating  these 
forces  "The  Army  of  the  Frontier,"  with  General  Schofield 
in  command. 

General  Curtis  as  commander  of  the  Department  of  the 
Missouri  had  a  wider  range  of  information  of  the  move 
ments  of  the  enemy  on  all  his  fronts  than  his  subordinate 
commanders.  For  instance  if  General  Hindman  was  with 
drawing  troops  from  one  point  to  re-enforce  others  at  other 
points,  he  received  information  of  the  fact  through  his  con 
fidential  agents  and  spies,  earlier  than  his  subordinates. 
Any  information  of  this  kind  likely  to  affect  the  operations 
of  a  subordinate  commander  were  at  once  communicated 
to  him,  that  he  might  make  intelligent  disposition  of  his 
forces  accordingly.  The  telegraph  line  from  St.  Louis  to 
Springfield  and  Cassville  was  opened  a  few  days  after  Gen 
eral  Schofield  moved  south  from  Newtonia,  and  he  was 
kept  advised  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy  southeast  of 
his  position  in  Arkansas.  Besides  this  information,  he  had 
frequent  reports  from  his  own  scouts  kept  out  to  watch  the 
movements  of  the  enemy. 

It  appeared  from  the  information  available  that  the 
Confederate  forces  of  Rains,  Cooper  and  Shelby  were  mak 
ing  an  effort  to  concentrate  at  Elkhorn  or  Pea  Ridge  to 
make  a  stand,  and  after  scouting  thoroughly  in  front  and 
on  both  flanks,  General  Schofield  ordered  Generals  Blunt 
and  Totten  with  the  First  and  Second  Divisions  of  the  Army 
of  the  Frontier  to  advance  upon  the  new  position  of  the 
enemy.  On  arrival  of  the  army  in  the  vicinity  of  Elkhorn, 


102  The  Union  ^  Indian  Brigad9  in  the  Civil  War. 

General  Schofield  found  that  the  Confederate  forces  had 
left,  the  white  troops  under  Rains  going  in  the  direction  of 
Huntsville,  twenty-five  miles  southeast,  and  the  Indian 
auxiliaries  under  Cooper  marching  to  Maysville,  about 
thirty  miles  west  on  the  line  of  Arkansas  and  the  Indian 
Territory. 

The  army  encamped  on  the  battle  field  of  Pea  Ridge 
several  days  in  order  to  secure,  by  sending  out  scouting  de 
tachments  of  cavalry,  more  accurate  information  of  the 
movements  and  position  of  the  enemy,  which,  having  been 
obtained,  General  Schofield  directed  General  Totten  to  take 
the  cavalry,  artillery  and  infantry  of  his  division,  with  five 
days'  rations  in  haversacks,  ambulances  and  wagons,  and 
advance  against  the  enemy  at  Huntsville  and  accompanied 
the  expedition  in  person. 

General  Salomon  of  the  First  Brigade,  First  Division, 
was  directed  to  guard  the  trains  and  keep  out  scouting  par 
ties  and  secure  himself  against  surprise,  and  General  Blunt 
was  instructed  to  take  the  balance  of  his  division  with  its 
transportation  and  move  against  Cooper's  Confederate  In 
dians  reported  to  be  at  Maysville  and  preparing  to  make  a 
raid  into  Southern  Kansas.  In  compliance  with  his  instruc 
tions  the  General  marched  from  Elkhorn  to  Bentonville  and 
halted  four  or  five  hours  for  his  troops  and  trains  to  close 
up  and  then  made  a  night  march  and  struck  Cooper's  force 
the  next  morning  at  daylight,  October  21,  at  Old  Fort 
Wayne  about  three  miles  southwest  of  Maysville,  and  after 
an  action  of  half  an  hour  routed  him,  capturing  all  his  ar 
tillery,  four  guns,  and  most  of  his  camp,  with  an  insignifi 
cant  Federal  loss. 

The  movement  of  General  Blunt's  Kansas  troops  and 
Indians  was  so  swift  that  they  took  in  the  Confederate 
pickets  and  outposts  and  chased  some  of  them  into  camp, 
so  that  Cooper  was  completely  surprised  and  had  time  to 
make  only  feeble  resistance.  His  guns  fired  scarcely  half 
a  dozen  rounds  before  the  cannoneers  were  shot  down  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in. 


driven  from  them,  the  supporting  troops  of  Indians  having 
fled  on  the  near  approach  of  the  Federal  soldiers,  who  kept 
up  a  hot  fire  as  they  advanced. 

The  Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  Lieutenant  Colonel  0.  A. 
Bassett,  Third  Brigade,  had  the  advance;  Colonel  W.  R. 
Judson,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  Second  Brigade,  came  next, 
followed  by  the  First  and  Third  Indian  Regiments,  and  the 
batteries  in  the  order  of  assignment,  the  whole  force  coming 
on  the  field  in  a  trot  and  wheeling  into  line  as  they  came 
up  and  moving  forward  threatened  to  surround  the  enemy. 
The  principal  part  of  the  fighting  fell  to  the  Second  Kansas 
Cavalry,  for  two  or  three  companies  of  that  regiment,  under 
Captain  Crawford,  charged  the  Confederate  Battery  while 
the  other  troops  were  coming  up  and  forming  line. 

Captain  Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Battery  and  Captain 
Allen's  First  Kansas  Battery  came  into  position  quickly 
and  did  good  work  in  throwing  shot  and  shell  into  the 
ranks  of  the  enemy,  where  they  were  found  endeavoring  to 
make  a  stand,  or  an  effort  to  get  away,  increasing  the 
demoralization  as  bursting  shells  were  falling  near  a  group 
of  enemy  Indians  or  screaming  over  their  heads  in  their 
flight  from  the  field. 

On  leaving  the  main  part  of  the  Confederate  forces  at 
Elm  Springs,  twelve  miles  north  of  Fayetteville,  General 
Rains  instructed  General  Cooper  to  march  with  the  Indian 
Brigade  and  take  up  a  position  at  Old  Fort  Wayne,  Cherokee 
Nation,  near  Maysville,  and  from  that  place  make  an  expe 
dition  into  Southern  Kansas  at  the  earliest  practicable  mo 
ment,  as  a  diversion  to  weaken  the  pressure  of  the  Federal 
forces  against  General  Hindman  in  Western  Arkansas. 

General  Cooper  complained  that  General  Rains  had 
taken  from  him  four  Texas  regiments,  leaving  him  with 
out  white  troops  ;  that  the  actions  of  Rains  had  so  weakened 
his  command  that  he  looked  upon  the  proposed  expedition 
with  some  misgivings  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  season, 
and  the  taking  of  his  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  soldiers  so 
far  away  from  their  homes  ;  that  on  his  arrival  in  the  Ter- 


164 


fa  \tynwn;  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 


ritory  quite  a  number  of  his  men  had  returned  to  their 
homes,  and  he  was  having  some  difficulty  in  getting  them 
back  to  their  regiments  again. 

After  the  action  of  Fort  Wayne  General  Cooper's  In 
dians  hardly  halted  until  they  crossed  to  the  south  side  of 
the  Arkansas  River,  and  the  remainder  of  the  year  were 
of  little  use  as  an  organized  fighting  unit.  It  was  probably 
a  fact,  as  had  often  been  asserted  by  men  familiar  with 
Indian  life,  that  Indian  soldiers  needed  white  troops  with 
them  to  give  them  courage  and  confidence  in  a  contest  with 
white  troops. 

The  removal  of  this  large  Indian  force  of  four  thou 
sand  men  from  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  River,  al 
lowed  many  of  the  loyal  Cherokee  families  to  return  to 
their  ruined  homes  in  comparative  safety ;  but  the  fortunes 
of  war  were  so  uncertain  that  they  could  count  on  remain 
ing  only  temporarily  to  gather  up  any  of  their  stock  on  the 
range  that  had  escaped  the  enemy.  While  operating  in  that 
section  this  large  force  of  hostile  Indians  was  a  constant 
menace  to  the  people  of  Southern  Kansas. 

In  reporting  to  General  Hindman  the  Fort  Wayne  dis 
aster,  General  Cooper  stated  that  his  command  was  in  no 
condition  to  make  the  expedition  to  Southern  Kansas;  that 
many  of  his  Indian  soldiers  were  barefooted  and  nearly 
naked,  having  had  no  shoes  or  clothing  issued  to  them  for 
a  long  time,  and  as  the  weather  was  getting  colder  they 
were  much  in  need  of  both,  and  finally  that  since  the  white 
troops  had  been  taken  away  they  felt  they  had  been  aban 
doned  by  the  Confederate  authorities. 

The  night  after  the  action  the  weather  turned  cold; 
half  an  inch  of  snow  fell  during  the  night  and  covered  the 
ground,  and  the  next  morning  the  ground  was  frozen,  and 
as  General  Cooper  had  lost  a  large  part  of  his  camp  equip 
age  and  baggage,  his  thinly  clad  soldiers  must  have  suf 
fered  from  cold  before  reaching  the  Arkansas  River.  Gen 
eral  Blunt's  cavalry  and  Indians  pursued  the  demoralized 
foe  south  of  the  Spavina  hills,  taking  a  few  prisoners  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  (Ke  "fii^il  tPaf,,,  -'    \  T05 

then  returned  to  camp  to  prepare  for  further  movements 
in  co-operation  with  the  troop^  under  General  Schofield  in 
pushing  the  enemy  in  Northwest  Arkansas  south  of  the 
Boston  Mountains.  On  the  day  that  Generals  Schofield  and 
Blunt  started  on  their  expeditions  to  Huntsville  and  Mays- 
ville,  General  Hindman  arrived  at  Fayetteville  to  inspect 
and  ascertain  the  condition  of  his  forces  in  that  section,  and 
to  make  such  dispositions  of  them  as  he  considered  advisable 
after  conference  with  his  general  officers.  He  was  not  long 
in  finding  out  that  the  prospect  of  wintering  his  army  on 
the  Osage  or  Missouri  River,  as  he  had  proposed  doing,  was 
not  very  bright,  and  as  information  tending  to  thwart  his 
plans  reached  him  almost  daily,  he  probably  considered 
himself  fortunate  if  he  jshould  be  able  to  hold  any  part  of 
Western  Arkansas.  He  doubtless  underestimated  the  re 
sources  of  the  Federal  commander  opposing  him. 

All  that  section  was  almost  entirely  exhausted  of  for 
age  and  food  supplies,  and  as  the  Confederate  army  de 
pended  mainly  upon  the  country  it  occupied  for  such  sup 
plies,  it  would  have  been  a  serious  problem  as  to  whether 
General  Hindman  could  have  maintained  his  army  there 
during  the  winter,  and  the  rich  granaries  of  Missouri,  as 
he  called  them,  were  a  prize  much  coveted,  and  worth  fight 
ing  for.  He  was  with  the  forces  of  Rains,  Shelby  and  other 
Missouri  Confederate  leaders  when  General  Schofield  ar 
rived  near  Huntsville  with  the  Second  and  Third  Divisions 
of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier  and  did  not  deem  it  advisable 
to  make  a  stand,  and  after  some  skirmishing  retired  in  the 
direction  of  Ozark  in  the  Airkaixsas  Valley,  where  conscripts 
were  being  collected  and  organized  into  regiments  and  pre 
pared  for  the  Confederate  service. 

A  large  part  of  the  western  half  of  Arkansas  was  moun 
tainous,  and  perhaps  most  of  the  people  living  in  those  re 
gions  were  loyal  and  devoted  to  the  Union,  and  had  up  to 
that  time  resisted  all  efforts  of  the  Confederate  authori 
ties  to  get  the  men  fit  for  military  service  into  the  Con 
federate  army.  Many  of  them  hid  out  in  the  mountains  and 


106;        .    The  >  Union  Jd-nian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

were  fed  clandestinely  by  their  families,  rarely  ever  ven 
turing  into  their  homes  except  sometimes  of  nights.  They 
were  difficult  to  find  even  by  conscripting  officers,  and 
when  found  and  taken  to  the  rendezvous  to  be  prepared  for 
the  service  they  were  considered  unreliable,  many  of  them 
deserting  the  first  opportunity,  and  those  taken  to  the  front 
generally  made  inefficient  soldiers. 

General  Schofield's  expedition  to  Huntsville,  while  it 
did  not  result  in  any  spectacular  glory,  had  the  effect  of 
pushing  the  enemy  out  of  all  that  region  to  the  south  of 
the  mountains,  and  to  relieve  the  pressure  of  Southern  dom 
ination  in  Northwestern  Arkansas,  Southwest  Missouri  and 
the  Indian  Territory  north  of  the  Arkansas  River.  There 
was  still,  however,  a  Confederate  force  under  General  M.  M. 
Parsons  of  Missouri,  at  Yellville,  in  Northern  Arkansas, 
directly  south  of  Springfield,  of  about  two  thousand  men, 
sometimes  reported  at  two  or  three  times  that  number,  that 
General  Schofield  felt  obliged  to  keep  his  eyes  upon,  which 
caused  him  to  dispose  his  Second  and  Third  Divisions  so  as 
to  cover  Springfield  in  the  event  of  an  attempted  raid  to 
attack  that  place  and  destroy  the  large  quantities  of  sup 
plies  stored  there  for  the  army. 

To  guard  against  what  seemed  to  be  a  threatened  at 
tack  of  the  enemy  on  Springfield  from  the  direction  of 
Yellville,  General  Schofield  directed  General  Totten,  com 
manding  the  Second  Division  at  Fayetteville,  and  General 
Herron,  commanding  the  Third  Division  at  Osage  Springs, 
to  move  to  Crane  Creek  and  Cassville,  where  they  would  be 
in  supporting  distance  of  General  Blunt,  who  was  then  about 
ten  miles  southwest  of  Bentonville,  or  in  position  to  march 
to  the  aid  of  the  forces  at  Springfield  should  the  enemy  be 
found  advancing  in  force  upon  that  place. 

Later  information  proved  that  General  Hindman  had 
withdrawn  most  of  his  force  from  the  vicinity  of  Yellville 
and  with  the  forces  that  General  Schofield  had  driven  from 
Huntsville  in  the  direction  of  Ozark  was  concentrating 
everything  available  near  Van  Buren  with  the  view  of  ad- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  W,art  1 07 

vancing  as  early  as  practicable  against  General  Blunt,  who 
was  then  about  fourteen  miles  south  of  Maysville.  General 
Hindman  assigned  General  John  S.  Marmaduke,  a  Missouri 
West  Pointer,  to  the  command  of  his  cavalry,  and  as  early 
as  the  middle  of  November  General  Blunt  sent  out  a  scout 
under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Jewell,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  in 
the  direction  of  Van  Buren  via  Cane  Hill  and  down  the  Cove 
Creek  road  through  the  mountains  to  secure  as  accurate  in 
formation  as  practicable  of  the  movements,  strength  and 
position  of  the  Confederate  forces.  Colonel  Jewell  moved 
forward  without  any  opposition  until  he  passed  Lee's  Creek 
on  the  road  to  Van  Buren,  when  he  came  in  contact  with 
General  Marmaduke's  advance,  which  at  once  fell  back  upon 
a  strong  support,  and  in  the  skirmish  that  ensued  took  sev 
eral  prisoners,  from  whom  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Con 
federate  cavalry  were  then  on  the  march  with  a  battery  of 
artillery  for  Cane  Hill  and  Rhea's  Mills,  where  they  were 
going  to  operate  the  mills  in  making  flour  and  meal  from 
the  grain  collected  in  that  section  for  the  army  at  Fort 
Smith  and  Van  Buren,  that  would  advance  in  a  few  days 
under  General  Hindman. 

Returning  at  once  to  camp,  Colonel  Jewell  reported  to 
General  Blunt  the  result  of  the  reconnoissance,  and  meas 
ures  were  taken  by  the  General  to  keep  in  touch  with  the 
enemy  every  day  until  he  was  in  readiness  to  move  against 
them.  He  was  determined  that  if  the  grain  was  to  be  col 
lected  and  ground  into  flour  and  meal  for  the  use  of  the 
military  forces  of  the  Confederacy,  he,  too,  would  have  a 
hand  in  the  matter.  The  region  around  Cane  Hill  and  Rhea's 
Mills  was  the  best  agricultural  part  of  Washington  county, 
besides  nearly  every  family  had  an  orchard  that  produced 
an  abundance  of  fine  apples.  The  season  had  been  especially 
favorable  for  their  maturing  and  ripening,  and  they  were 
delicious.  The  people  were  quite  willing  to  exchange  them 
with  the  Union  soldiers  for  sugar,  coffee  and  tea,  which 
the  citizens  had  difficulty  in  getting  in  that  section. 


108  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  thejCivil  War. 

««       4      J  „.>*»•»•*  •"         *    \ 

There  was  a  decided  Union  sentiment  in  Western  Ar 
kansas  and  a  sufficient  number  of  Union  men  had  already 
refugeed  into  Southwest  Missouri  to  organize  a  regiment, 
the  First  Arkansas  Cavalry  commanded  by  Colonel  M.  La 
Rue  Harrison,  and  the  soldiers  of  the  regiment,  being  fa 
miliar  with  the  country,  made  valuable  scouts  and  guides, 
and  through  their  families  frequently  advised  Federal  offi 
cers  of  the  movements  of  secessionists  in  their  neighbor 
hoods.  While  the  First  Division  was  encamped  at  Camp 
Bowen,  southwest  of  Bentonville,  General  Blunt  directed 
Colonel  Phillips  to  take  the  best  mounted  men  of  the  First 
and  Third  Indian  regiments  and  make  an  expedition  to  Fort 
Gibson,  Parkhill  and  Tahlequah  and  scout  the  country  thor- 
ughly  to  ascertain  if  there  were  any  of  Cooper's  or  Waite's 
men  operating  as  an  organization  north  of  the  Arkansas 
River.  The  Indians  would  be  in  their  own  country,  and  if 
there  was  a  foe  in  it  they  were  certain  to  find  him.  The 
Colonel  was  also  instructed  to  make  an  examination  of  the 
Salt  Works  on  the  Illinois  River,  as  to  whether  they  were 
in  condition  to  be  operated  with  slight  repairs. 

Prior  to  the  war  the  people  of  Western  Arkansas  and 
Southwest  Missouri  had  depended  largely  upon  the  Salt 
Works  at  Grand  Saline  in  that  section  for  their  supplies  of 
salt,  a  commodity  that  every  family  was  obliged  to  keep 
on  hand,  and  if  the  works  could  be  operated  under  the  pro 
tection  of  the  army,  it  was  believed  that  they  had  the  ca 
pacity  for  producing  salt  sufficient  to  supply  the  troops  of 
General  Blunt's  command,  and  thus  save  the  trouble  and 
expense  of  transporting  it  nearly  three  hundred  miles  over 
land.  It  was  found,  however,  impracticable  to  operate  the 
works;  it  would  require  a  protecting  force  which  General 
Blunt  was  unable  to  spare  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy  on 
his  front.  Colonel  Jewell's  retiring  column  was  followed 
closely,  less  than  twenty-four  hours  in  his  rear  by  General 
Marmaduke's  mounted  force,  reported  to  be  seven  or  eight 
thousand  strong,  to  Cane  Hill  and  Rhea's  Mills,  and  com- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  109 

menced  operating  the  mills  in  that  section,  preparing  sub 
sistence  for  the  Southern  forces,  the  infantry  of  which 
under  General  Hindman,  would  march  from  Fort  Smith  and 
Van  Buren  in  a  few  days. 

Under  these  conditions  General  Blunt  sent  a  courier 
with  dispatches  to  Elkhorn,  the  end  of  the  telegraph  line 
guarded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  A.  W.  Bishop,  of  the  First 
Arkansas  Cavalry,  to  be  telegraphed  to  General  Curtis,  St. 
Louis,  stating  the  situation  and  requesting  him  to  order 
the  Second  and  Third  Divisions  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier, 
under  Generals  Totten  and  Herron,  to  be  in  position  to 
march  to  his  assistance  at  a  moment's  notice. 

Before  these  troops  were  ready  to  march,  however, 
General  Blunt  decided  to  park  his  trains  at  camp  on  Lind 
say's  Prairie,  some  thirty  miles  north  of  Cane  Hill,  to  be 
guarded  by  General  Salomon  with  the  Ninth  Wisconsin  In 
fantry,  several  mounted  detachments  and  a  battery,  and 
take  the  balance  of  his  cavalry,  infantry  and  artillery  and, 
by  making  a  day  and  night  march,  strike  the  Confederate 
force  south  of  Rhea's  Mills  the  next  morning  and  drive  it 
back  upon  Cane  Hill,  and  then  push  the  whole  force  back 
through  the  mountains  before  General  Hindman  could  come 
up  with  his  support  of  infantry  and  artillery. 

General  Blunt  had  been  strengthened  by  two  fine  regi 
ments  of  infantry  the  last  month,  the  Eleventh  Kansas, 
Colonel  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  commanding,  and  the  Thir 
teenth  Kansas,  Colonel  Thomas  M.  Bowen  commanding,  and 
felt  that  with  his  well  equipped  force  well  supplied  with 
artillery  he  could  defeat  the  Confederate  advance  under 
Marmaduke  without  calling  on  the  Second  and  Third  Divi 
sions  and  so  advised  General  Curtis  by  telegraph. 

With  four  days'  rations  in  haversacks  and  with  ambu 
lances  and  two  or  three  wagons  to  the  brigade,  the  expedi 
tion  started  out,  and  the  first  day  marched  within  ten  miles 
of  the  Confederate  position  near  Cane  Hill  and  then  went 
into  bivuoac  for  the  night  to  give  the  troops  and  animals 
rest  and  food.  The  march  was  then  resumed,  and  after 


1 1 0  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  thz  Civil  War 

daylight  the  next  morning  the  advance  under  Colonel  Cloud 
with  part  of  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry  came  upon  and 
surprised  and  chased  for  some  distance  the  enemy  pickets 
who  escaped  to  their  camp  and  gave  the  alarm  of  the  Fed 
eral  approach. 

General  Marmaduke  had  information  of  the  advance 
south  of  the  Federal  forces,  but  looked  for  them  to  approach 
on  the  Fayetteville  or  State  Line  road;  instead,  General 
Blunt,  with  the  aid  of  his  guides,  found  on  resuming  the 
march  early  in  the  morning,  a  country  road  between  the 
two  main  roads  that  enabled  him  to  approach  within  half 
a  mile  of  the  Confederate  position  and  open  fire  upon  it 
with  two  howitzers,  to  which  the  enemy  replied  with 
heavier  guns.  He  looked  around  and  saw  that  he  had  no 
support  in  sight,  the  main  part  of  his  command  having 
been  delayed  in  ascending  a  steep  part  of  the  mountain, 
which  caused  him  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  enemy 
mainly  with  his  howitzers  for  more  than  half  an  hour,  until 
his  other  troops  could  come  up  with  the  field  batteries. 

The  country  about  Cane  Hill  was  much  broken  by  deep 
ravines  or  hollows  and  steep  hillsides.  It  is  the  northern 
entrance  to  a  gap  in  the  mountain  six  or  seven  miles  south 
of  Cane  Hill,  where  the  road  from  Van  Buren  up  Cove  Creek 
forks,  one  of  the  forks  leading  to  Fayetteville  and  the  other 
to  Cane  Hill ;  but  from  the  position  taken  up  by  the  Federal 
forces  on  arrival  in  front  of  the  enemy  the  mountains  to 
the  east,  south  and  southwest  seemed  to  rise  to  a  height 
of  a  thousand  feet  or  more  above  the  surrounding  country, 
in  peaks  and  ridges,  and  on  that  clear  day,  with  an  inter 
vening  bluish  haze  that  reminded  the  troops  from  the 
prairie  regions  of  Kansas  that  they  were  in  a  mountainous 
country. 

This  broken  terrain  was  difficult  of  maneuvering  over 
by  cavalry,  infantry  and  artillery,  and  when  General  Blunt's 
troops  formed  in  line  the  enemy  were  found  to  occupy  a 
strong  mound-shaped  elevation  which  could  be  reached  only 
by  passing  over  a  deep  ravine  or  hollow  with  its  descending 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  1 1 1 

and  ascending  sides  covered  with  a  scanty  growth  of  timber. 
It  was  found  that  the  position  of  the  enemy  was  beyond 
the  effective  range  of  the  howitzers  attached  to  the  cavalry, 
and  on  arrival  of  the  main  body  of  his  troops  and  artillery 
General  Blount  ordered  up  his  field  batteries  of  Allen's 
First  Kansas;  Rabbs'  Second  Indiana;  Blair's  Second  Kan 
sas  and  Hopkins'  Battery,  captured  from  Cooper  at  Fort 
Wayne,  and  opened  an  intense  fire  upon  the  Confederates, 
silencing  most  of  their  guns  and  compelling  them  to  retire 
to  a  new  position. 

By  this  time  his  cavalry  and  infantry  had  come  up  and 
formed  line,  and  they  advanced  over  the  rough  ground  and 
up  and  down  steep  hillsides,  and  after  heavy  rifle  firing  for 
a  short  time,  drove  the  enemy  from  their  sheltered  posi 
tions  to  retire  perhaps  half  a  mile  south  of  Cane  Hill,  where 
they  made  another  stand.  In  this  retirement  the  Federal 
cavalry,  the  Second  and  Sixth  Kansas,  and  the  Third  and  a 
battalion  of  First  Indian  Regiment  kept  in  touch  with  and 
engaged  the  enemy  until  the  infantry  and  artillery  could 
be  brought  up,  when  they  were  again  routed  from  their 
position. 

Finding  that  he  was  unable  to  successfully  engage  the 
Federal  forces  in  a  decisive  action,  General  Marmaduke 
adopted  the  tactics  of  holding  them  as  long  as  practicable 
from  his  chosen  position,  and  when  that  was  rapidly  be 
coming  untenable  to  retreat  with  the  main  part  of  his  com 
mand  to  a  new  strong  position,  leaving  the  smaller  part  to 
retire  fighting  as  the  Federal  forces  advanced.  His  ma 
neuvers  of  this  kind  were  quite  successful  in  preventing 
the  demoralization  of  his  troops  and  was  kept  up  until  about 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when  he  passed  through  the 
gap  in  the  mountains  and  entered  the  head  of  Cove  Creek, 
that  flows  nearly  south,  when  his  operations  would  have  to 
be  confined  to  the  narrow  valley  of  that  stream,  rarely  ex 
ceeding  in  width  fifty  yards,  and  in  many  places  a  narrow 
gorge  between  lofty  walls  of  the  mountain. 


112  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Ciril  War. 

Every  retirement  of  the  Confederates  from  one  posi 
tion  to  another  required  a  readjustment  of  the  Federal  line, 
which  was  an  arduous  task,  exhausting  to  the  infantry  and 
the  mounted  men  and  their  horses.  The  troops  operating 
on  the  right  and  left  flanks  might  be  nearly  a  mile  from 
the  center,  or  main  road,  and  every  time  the  Confederates 
were  driven  from  their  position  and  retired  a  mile  or  so, 
these  troops  on  the  flanks,  or  right  or  left  wings,  had  to  be 
recalled  to  the  main  road  to  take  up  the  pursuit  again  and 
go  into  new  positions,  and  as  they  had  been  in  continuous 
movement  since  five  o'clock  that  morning  and  all  the  day 
before,  it  was  getting  more  and  more  difficult  to  bring  them 
to  the  front  on  each  retirement  of  the  Confederates,  not 
that  they  were  unwilling,  but  simply  from  the  reason  that 
they  were  worn  out  from  constant  marching  and  maneuver 
ing  and  climbing  and  descending  the  hills  and  ravines  over 
which  the  operations  were  conducted  that  day.  On  account 
of  the  nature  of  the  terrain,  the  cavalry  on  the  flanks  could 
not  form  and  move  forward  effectively  in  a  charge  to  dis 
lodge  the  enemy  from  a  position,  and  the  men  were  obliged 
to  dismount  and  advance  on  foot  for  the  purpose,  leaving 
every  third  or  fourth  man  to  hold  horses,  and  when  their 
work  was  accomplished  return  to  their  horses,  remount  and 
move  to  some  other  part  of  the  field  as  required,  all  of 
which  made  the  work  of  the  cavalry  as  exhausting  as  that 
of  the  infantry. 

The  Confederates  would  have  had  some  advantage  in 
the  contest  by  their  tactics  of  retiring  and  choosing  strong 
positions  had  not  General  Blunt  been  well  supplied  with 
splendid  field  artillery.  They  could  not  operate  their  bat 
tery  of  six  guns  in  one  position  more  than  a  few  minutes 
when  it  would  be  located  by  the  Federal  artillery  officers, 
who  in  another  moment  would  be  pouring  such  a  storm  of 
shot  and  shell  into  it  as  to  force  it  out  of  action,  and  in  one 
instance  dismounting  a  gun  and  knocking  the  gun  carriage 
to  splinters. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  1 1 3 

The  Confederate  force  was  all  mounted,  and  every  time 
General  Marmaduke  selected  a  good  position  to  make  a  stand 
he  was  obliged  to  dismount,  perhaps  the  larger  part  of  his 
command  to  defend  it,  and  it  could  not  be  defended  very 
long,  for  General  Blunt's  advancing  lines  of  skirmishers 
soon  located  it  and  sent  back  to  have  the  Federal  batteries 
brought  into  position  for  shelling  it,  and  in  a  few  instances 
they  were  able  to  use  grape  shot,  which,  in  co-operation 
with  the  advancing  lines  of  infantry,  caused  the  Confed 
erates  to  abandon  their  positions,  the  dismounted  men  to 
remount  their  horses  and  retreat  to  a  new  position  without 
permitting  the  Federal  infantry  to  approach  within  rifle 
range,  otherwise  there  would  have  been  bloody  work  on 
both  sides. 

General  Blunt,  with  most  of  the  members  of  his  staff, 
kept  right  up  to  the  front  with  his  cavalry  and  gave  direc 
tions  for  the  movements  of  his  troops,  and  believing  that 
if  he  could  get  them  up  with  very  little  delay  he  could  cap 
ture  all  the  Confederate  artillery,  particularly  when  he  saw 
the  Confederates  attempting  to  make  a  stand  in  the  gap  of 
the  mountain  where  the  Fayetteville  and  Cane  Hill  roads 
unite  and  form  the  Cove  Creek  road.  He  had  been  informed 
of  the  nature  of  the  valley  and  narrow  gorges  between  the 
high  walls  of  the  mountain  on  each  side  of  the  road,  and 
he  knew  of  the  desperate  efforts  Marmaduke  was  making 
to  get  his  trains  out  of  the  way  so  as  to  not  block  the 
narrow  valley  and  the  narrow  gorges  and  place  his  retreat 
ing  troops  in  a  helpless  position,  for  it  would  have  taken 
considerable  time  for  seven  or  eight  thousand  men  to  pass 
a  given  point  in  that  narrow  valley,  at  no  place  of  which 
could  they  show  a  front  of  more  than  twenty-five  to  fifty 
men. 

After  driving  them  from  their  last  stand  at  the  gap  in 
the  mountain,  General  Blunt  pursued  them  hotly  into  Cove 
Creek  valley  with  only  a  part  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry 
under  Colonel  Judson  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Jewell,  and 
part  of  the  Third  Indian  Regiment  under  Colonel  W.  A. 


1 1 4  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Phillips  and  sent  several  aids  back  to  hurry  forward  other 
troops  and  artillery.  He  was  soon  advised  that  the  other 
troops  and  artillery  except  Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Battery 
and  the  howitzers  attached  to  the  Sixth  Kansas  were  sev 
eral  miles  in  the  rear.  He  had  pushed  the  enemy  two  or 
three  miles  down  Cove  Creek  Valley,  and  the  road  was  al 
most  choked  with  the  fleeing  foe  then  in  the  utmost  con 
fusion. 

Coming  upon  the  very  heels  of  the  retreating  enemy, 
the  situation  appealed  to  General  Blunt  as  to  what  action 
he  should  take.  He  looked  around  and  saw  the  small  force 
he  had  at  hand,  but  was  anxious  to  capture  the  enemy  bat 
tery  just  ahead.  The  sun  had  descended  below  the  horizon; 
the  deep  shadow  of  the  mountain  made  it  appear  that  dark 
ness  was  near,  and  he  decided  to  call  for  volunteers  to  make 
a  charge  down  the  narrow  valley  to  capture  the  guns. 
Colonel  Jewell  responded  to  the  call,  offering  to  lead  the 
charge,  and  every  man  of  his  command  present  volunteered 
to  follow  their  leader,  and  in  a  moment  the  bugle  sounded 
the  charge,  and  the  Colonel,  at  the  head  of  his  men,  hardly 
exceeding  two  hundred  and  fifty,  with  drawn  sabers,  dashed 
forward  down  the  valley  and  soon  came  upon  the  enemy 
filling  the  road  and  commenced  sabering  them  right  and 
left,  some  of  his  men  putting  up  their  sabers  and  using 
their  Colt's  revolvers  more  effectively.  The  charge  con 
tinued  down  the  valley  for  a  quarter  of  mile  when  the 
Colonel  waj3  just  entering  one  of  the  narrow  gorges  de 
scribed,  to  the  left  of  which  was  a  flat  elevation  ten  to  fif 
teen  feet  above  the  road  at  the  proximal  end  of  a  ravine, 
made  by  the  soil  washing  down  from  the  mountain,  and  re 
ceived  a  volley  from  the  rifles  of  a  company  stationed  on 
the  elevation  within  two  or  three  rods  and  was  struck  in 
the  region  of  the  hip  with  a  ball  and  mortally  wounded, 
together  with  several  of  his  men.  This  checked  the  advance, 
and  his  men  retired  up  the  valley  to  where  General  Blunt 
was  collecting  other  detachments  coming  up  to  meet  a 


The  t/m'oE  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  \  1 5 

counter  charge  which  he  looked  for  and  which  he  did  not 
have  to  wait  long  for.  Seeing  the  effect  of  the  volley  and 
the  retirement  of  the  Sixth  Kansas,  the  Confederates  im 
mediately  advanced,  charging  and  yelling,  up  the  valley 
until  they  received  the  fire  of  the  four  howitzers  which  had 
been  brought  up  and  double  loaded  with  grape  shot  and 
canister,  supported  by  the  Sixth  Kansas,  which  had  been 
rallied  and  formed  across  the  valley,  instantly  checking 
them. 

General  Blunt  was  still  determined  to  capture  the  enemy 
guns,  which  he  believed  were  near  the  gorge  where  Colonel 
Jewell  fell,  and  again  had  the  four  howitzers  double  loaded 
with  grape  and  canister,  and  also  a  section  of  Rabb's  Second 
Indiana  Battery  that  had  just  come  up,  supported  by  the 
Sixth  Kansas  and  some  men  of  the  Third  Indian  Regiment 
under  Colonel  Phillips,  who  had  just  arrived,  and  was  ready 
to  advance,  when  a  Confederate  officer  came  galloping  up 
the  road  bearing  a  white  flag  and  requested  to  be  con 
ducted  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Federal  forces 
present,  and  was  taken  to  General  Blunt.  He  stated  to  the 
General  that  he  had  been  directed  by  the  commanding  offi 
cer  of  the  Confederate  forces  to  request  permission  of  the 
Federal  commander  to  remove  their  dead  and  wounded  in 
the  valley  and  to  state  that  there  was  a  Federal  field  offi 
cer  lying  badly  wounded  near  the  gorge  who  had  made 
some  requests  about  surgical  attention  that  should  not  be 
delayed. 

The  truce  was  granted  and  under  it  the  dead  and 
wounded  of  both  sides  were  gathered  up  and  removed  from 
the  ground  fought  over  and  darkness  having  fallen  and 
having  performed  the  acts  of  mercy  and  humanity,  each  side 
retired  to  bivouac  in  the  open  without  tents  or  camp  equip 
age,  the  Confederates  in  the  direction  of  Van  Buren  and 
the  Federal  forces  in  the  direction  of  Cane  Hill. 

Colonel  Jewell  died  that  night,  November  29,  and  was 
sent  back  to  Fort  Scott  for  interment.  In  writing  of  these 
operations  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  set  down  a  few 


1 1 6  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

words  of  a  personal  nature.  The  Colonel  had  raised  and  or 
ganized  Company  D  of  the  Sixth  Kansas,  which  became 
Company  K  in  the  reorganization  into  which  the  writer  en 
listed,  and  when  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  of 
the  reorganized  regiment  he  appointed  his  protege  regi 
mental  commissary  sergeant  of  the  regiment  a  member  of 
the  non-commissioned  staff,  and  knowing  that  his  com 
missary  sergeant  was  making  notes  of  military  operations 
within  the  range  of  his  information,  the  Colonel  allowed  him 
to  accompany  him  on  scouts,  when  he  could  be  spared  from 
his  regular  work,  and  frequently  told  him  of  the  results  of 
scouts  when  he  did  not  go  along,  if  deemed  of  importance. 
He  was  a  brave,  generous  officer,  devoted  to  the  Union 
cause,  and  when  sent  out  on  any  mission  by  his  superiors 
could  always  be  relied  upon  to  accomplish  all  that  could  be 
reasonably  expected  of  him.  He  did  not  ask  his  men  to 
plunge  into  danger  where  he  could  not  lead  them. 

There  were  other  features  of  the  action  that  day  that 
may  be  mentioned,  as  they  come  very  close  to  the  writer. 
Orderly  Sergeant  Richie,  a  very  intelligent  young  Scotch 
man  of  Company  K,  fell  mortally  wounded  only  a  few  yards 
from  where  Colonel  Jewell  fell,  and  Lieutenant  J.  G.  Harris, 
of  the  same  company,  was  hit  in  the  neck,  the  ball  going 
through  the  Adam's  apple  and  coming  out  at  the  back  of  his 
neck ;  but  he  recovered.  A  brother,  James  Britton,  of  Com 
pany  C  of  the  same  regiment,  was  struck  by  a  piece  of 
shell,  splinter  or  flying  missile,  which  seemed  to  reopen  a 
wound  he  had  received  in  the  shoulder  in  the  action  at  Coon 
Creek,  Missouri,  in  August,  from  which  he  never  recovered. 

General  Blunt  reported  his  losses  in  the  action  of  Cane 
Hill  during  the  day  as  four  killed  and  thirty-six  wounded, 
four  mortally,  from  incomplete  casualty  lists. 

Colonel  Emmett  McDonald,  commanding  a  brigade  in 
General  Marmaduke's  division  of  the  Confederate  forces, 
reported  his  losses  at  five  killed,  seventeen  wounded  ana 
four  missing,  and  Colonel  C.  A.  Carroll  reported  losses  m 
his  brigade  as  eleven  wounded  and  two  missing. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  117 

The  losses  in  this  action  were  not  large  on  either  side, 
considering  the  number  of  troops  engaged,  about  five  thou 
sand  on  each  side,  and  the  extent  of  ground  fought  over, 
say  ten  to  twelve  miles,  from  morning  until  night. 

The  action  was  a  maneuvering  one  from  beginning  to 
end  in  which  General  Blunt  was  prepared  to  come  to  close 
quarters  with  the  foe,  a  feature  that  General  Marmaduke, 
the  Confederate  commander,  did  not  desire.  He  wished  to 
ward  off  the  blow  intended  for  him  until  his  forces  could 
be  united  with  those  being  prepared  for  the  advance  under 
General  Hindman  at  Van  Buren. 

It  was  a  keen  disappointment  to  General  Marmaduke 
that  he  was  unable  to  hold  his  positions  at  Cane  Hill  and 
Rhea's  Mills  in  order  to  gather  supplies  for  the  Southern 
forces  when  they  advanced  in  General  Hindman's  proposed 
march  for  the  invasion  of  Missouri. 


CHAPTER  VII 

BATTLE  OF  PRAIRIE  GROVE 

When  the  action  at  Cane  Hill  closed,  General  Blunt 
knew  that  the  struggle  for  the  possession  of  western  Ar 
kansas  and  southwest  Missouri  by  the  Confederate  forces 
was  not  ended,  for  he  had  accurate  information  through 
his  scouts  and  spies  that  General  Hindman  had  collected 
and  concentrated  all  the  available  Southern  forces  of  Ar 
kansas  and  the  Indian  Territory  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Smith  and  Van  Buren,  estimated  at  25,000  men,  to  carry 
the  campaign  into  Missouri. 

Determined  to  hold  all  that  he  had  gained  in  the 
operations  at  Cane  Hill,  General  Blunt  ordered  up  his 
trains  and  the  balance  of  his  troops  and  artillery  encamped 
at  Lindsay's  Prairie,  and  on  their  arrival,  had  part  of  the 
command  and  part  of  the  trains  go  into  camp  at  Rhea's 
Mills,  and  the  balance  at  Cane  Hill,  eight  miles  south,  and 
at  once  commenced  collecting  subsistence  for  his  men  and 
forage  for  his  animals.  Between  Fayetteville  and  Cane 
Hill  was  the  finest  agricultural  section  in  northwestern 
Arkansas,  and  most  of  the  farms  had  raised  on  them  that 
season  good  crops  of  corn,  oats,  wheat,  potatoes  and  apples. 

The  possession  of  this  fair  valley,  lying  directly  north 
of  the  Boston  Mountains,  had  been  won  by  the  Federal 
forces  after  a  short,  sharp  contest;  but  to  hold  it  General 
Blunt  became  convinced  that  he  would  in  a  very  short 
time  be  obliged  to  engage  in  a  fierce  struggle,  for  his 
troops  had  hardly  pitched  their  tents  in  their  new  camps, 
when  his  scouts  brought  him  information  that  General 
Hindman's  army  had  crossed  the  Arkansas  River  at  Van 
Buren  and  advanced  north  fifteen  miles,  until  General 
Marmaduke's  retreating  division  was  met  on  Lee's  Creek. 

A  decision  of  the  belligerent  forces  was  near  at  hand. 
Having  made  extensive  preparations  for  the  campaign, 

118 


MAJOR-GENERAL  j.  G.  BLUNT 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  119 

General  Hindman,  on  meeting  General  Marmaduke,  deter 
mined  to  move  north  rapidly  with  his  entire  army  and 
attack,  if  possible,  overwhelm  General  Blunt  before  his  re 
inforcements  could  reach  him,  which  he  and  his  Generals 
believed  to  be  practicable.  Convinced  by  information  in 
his  possession  that  General  Hindman,  with  an  army  fully 
twenty  thousand  strong,  was  advancing  to  attack  him, 
General  Blunt,  immediately  after  the  action  of  Cane  Hill, 
advised  General  Curtis,  the  Department  Commander,  St. 
Louis,  of  the  situation  by  telegraph  from  Elkhorn,  on  the 
Telegraph  Road,  and  requested  him  to  order  the  Second 
and  Third  Divisions  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier,  then  en 
camped  at  Wilson  Creek,  ten  miles  southwest  of  Spring 
field,  to  move  forward  by  forced  marches  to  re-inforce  him. 
On  receipt  of  this  dispatch,  General  Curtis,  by  telegraph, 
ordered  General  F.  J.  Herron,  commanding  the  two  divi 
sions,  to  push  forward  with  them  as  rapidly  as  practicable 
to  the  assistance  of  General  Blunt.  General  Herron  re 
ceived  General  Curtis'  telegraphic  order  at  eight  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  December  3rd,  and  by  twelve  o'clock  that 
day  his  troops  were  in  motion  and  on  the  march  in  the 
direction  of  Fayetteville. 

His  promptness  in  the  movement  was  characteristic  of 
his  soldierly  bearing.  From  Wilson  Creek,  Missouri,  to 
Fayetteville,  Arkansas,  the  point  to  which  he  would  be 
obliged  to  march  on  the  Telegraph  Road,  was  one  hundred 
miles,  and  Rhea's  Mills,  where  part  of  General  Blunt's 
troops  were  encamped,  was  sixteen  miles  southwest.  This 
was  a  long  distance  for  infantry  to  be  put  on  forced 
marches,  and  would  tax  their  power  of  endurance  to  the 
utmost  limit.  The  Springfield  and  Fayetteville  road,  known 
also  as  the  Wire  or  Telegraph  Road,  was  the  nearest  prac 
ticable  route  by  which  General  Blunt  could  be  reached. 

This  road  was  in  splendid  condition  on  the  eve  of  the 
march,  for  it  had  not  been  much  used  by  large  armies  and 
their  trains  passing  over  it  since  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge, 
in  March. 


120  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Without  any  delay  General  Herron  sent  General  Blunt 
a  dispatch  stating  that  he  would  make  the  best  time  possi 
ble  on  the  march,  and  keep  him  constantly  advised  of  his 
position  en  route. 

That  there  might  be  no  delay,  his  baggage  trains  fol 
lowed  in  the  rear  of  each  division,  and  carried  the  knap- 
sacks  of  his  men,  thus  relieving  them  of  a  burden  that 
would  have  been  much  felt  in  the  long  march  before  them, 
had  they  been  obliged  to  carry  them  on  their  backs.  Gen 
eral  Herron  arrived  at  Elkhorn  with  the  cavalry  of  the 
Second  Division  on  the  evening  of  December  5th.  Here 
he  received  an  order  from  General  Blunt  to  send  forward 
all  the  cavalry  he  could  spare.  He  ordered  forward  Colonel 
Dudley  Wickersham  with  the  Tenth  Illinois,  First  Iowa, 
a  battalion  of  the  Second  Wisconsin,  and  Colonel  Geiger's 
Eighth  Missouri  Cavalry,  to  report  to  General  Blunt  by 
forced  marches.  General  Herron  stayed  all  night  at  Elk- 
horn  waiting  for  his  infantry  and  artillery  to  come  up. 
He  moved  forward  the  next  day  to  Cross  Hollow,  fifteen 
miles,  and  halted  again  for  his  troops  to  close  up.  Colonel 
Daniel  Huston,  commanding  the  Second  Division,  arrived 
at  Cross  Hollow  at  seven  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  Decem 
ber  6th,  and  rested  until  midnight  and  then  resumed  the 
march,  arriving  at  Fayetteville  the  next  morning  at  sun 
rise.  General  Herron,  who  had  moved  forward  at  the 
head  of  his  troops,  arrived  at  Fayetteville  about  three 
hours  in  advance  of  Colonel  Huston's  Second  Division. 

While  the  Second  and  Third  Divisions  were  thus  mov 
ing  to  his  assistance  at  the  rate  of  thirty-five  miles  a  day, 
General  Blunt's  cavalry  was  busily  employed  in  skirmish 
ing  with  the  Confederate  advance  and  endeavoring  to  keep 
General  Marmaduke's  cavalry  from  forcing  the  passes  in 
the  Boston  Mountains. 

He  was  determined  to  hold  his  positions  at  Cane  Hill 
and  Rhea's  Mills  until  the  re-inforcements  of  General  Her 
ron  arrived.  Frequent  reconnaissances  on  all  the  roads  that 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  121 

approached  his  position  from  the  south  or  southeast  to 
keep  him  in  close  touch  with  the  movements  of  the  Con 
federates,  led  him  to  believe  that  General  Hindman  was 
preparing  to  cross  the  mountain  by  taking  either  the  Tele 
graph  Road,  which  passed  about  ten  miles  east  of  his  po 
sition  on  Cane  Hill,  or  by  taking  the  Cove  Creek  road, 
which  forked  on  the  mountain,  the  left-hand  fork  of  which 
led  directly  to  Cane  Hill,  and  the  right  to  Fayetteville. 

From  the  point  where  this  road  forked  to  General 
Blunt's  position  on  Cane  Hill  was  about  six  miles.  The 
Fayetteville  branch  of  the  Cove  Creek  road  was  crossed 
one  and  two  miles  north  of  the  point  where  it  united  with 
the  Cane  Hill  branch,  by  two  roads  running  west  and  south 
west  from  the  Telegraph  Road  to  the  Newburg  and  Cane 
Hill  road.  General  Blunt  saw  the  importance  of  keeping  a 
strong  outpost  at  the  junction  of  the  Cane  Hill  road  with 
the  Fayetteville  and  Cove  Creek  road,  and  at  the  crossings 
of  the  other  roads  referred  to.  He  saw  that  if  General 
Hindman  was  allowed  to  advance  on  the  Cove  Creek  road 
to  the  point  where  it  forked,  he  could,  by  making  a  strong 
feint,  threaten  a  direct  attack  on  Cane  Hill,  while  his  main 
army  moved  north  on  the  Fayetteville  road  to  turn  the 
Union  left  flank. 

On  the  4th,  General  Blunt  strengthened  his  outposts  in 
the  mountains  and  sent  forward  a  cavalry  reconnaissance 
on  the  Cove  Creek  road  in  the  direction  of  Van  Buren  to 
ascertain  if  the  enemy  were  advancing  in  force.  The 
reconnaissance  met  the  Confederate  advance  under  Colonel 
Shelby,  and  after  a  slight  skirmish  fell  back  to  the  outpost 
on  the  mountain.  The  next  morning  Colonel  Shelby  threw 
forward  a  regiment  and  attacked  the  outpost,  but  his  force 
was  soon  repulsed  and  driven  back  several  miles  through 
the  mountains.  Anticipating  another  attack  upon  this 
outpost,  General  Blunt  on  the  night  of  the  5th  directed 
Colonel  Cloud,  commanding  the  Third  Brigade,  to 
strengthen  it  by  daybreak  the  next  morning  with  one 


122  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil   War. 

hundred  cavalry  and  two  mountain  howitzers.  In  the 
meantime,  Colonel  Shelby  advanced  up  the  Cove  Creek 
road  with  a  brigade  of  cavalry  and  encamped  that 
night  within  a  mile  or  so  of  the  Federal  outpost,  and  the 
next  morning  at  daylight  dismounted  part  of  his  command, 
made  another  attack,  and  before  Colonel  Cloud's  support 
arrived,  forced  the  detachment  of  the  Second  Kansas  at  the 
station  to  fall  back  about  three  miles  in  the  direction  of 
Cane  Hill.  Colonel  Emmett  McDonald,  who  had  crossed 
over  the  mountains  on  the  Telegraph  Road  with  a  brigade 
of  Missouri  Confederate  cavalry,  joined  Colonel  Shelby 
shortly  after  he  had  driven  in  the  Federal  picket. 

Immediately  after  taking  possession  of  the  Fayetteville 
branch  of  the  Cove  Creek  road,  General  Marmaduke  ad 
vanced  the  brigades  of  Colonels  Shelby,  McDonald  and  Car 
roll  to  within  three  miles  of  General  Blunt's  position  on 
Cane  Hill,  where  they  came  in  sight  of  the  Federal  cavalry 
under  Colonel  Cloud  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle.  The  op 
posing  forces  consumed  the  day  in  maneuvering  and  skir 
mishing,  each  side  sustaining  a  few  casualties  in  wounded. 
While  the  Confederate  cavalry  were  thus  threatening  Gen 
eral  Blunt  with  an  attack  in  front,  General  Hindman 
was  bringing  forward  his  infantry  and  artillery  on  the 
Cove  Creek  road.  As  General  Marmaduke's  cavalry  were 
now  in  possession  of  the  Fayetteville  branch  of  the  Cove 
Creek  road  at  its  junction  with  the  Cane  Hill  road,  General 
Blunt  was  apprehensive  that  an  effort  would  be  made  by 
the  Confederate  generals  to  turn  his  left  flank  so  as  to  get 
between  him  and  his  re-inforcements  under  General  Herron. 
That  he  might  be  advised  at  once  if  there  were  any  indica 
tions  of  such  a  movement  in  progress,  on  the  morning  of 
the  6th  he  ordered  Colonel  John  M.  Richardson,  Fourteenth 
Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  who  had  arrived  from  Cass- 
ville  the  night  before,  to  take  a  force  of  one  hundred 
mounted  men  and  proceed  east  on  the  Hog-Eye  road  to  the 
crossing  of  the  Cove  Creek  and  Fayetteville  road,  and  on 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  123 

arriving  there  to  send  part  of  his  men  south  on  it  to  ascer 
tain  if  the  enemy  were  advancing.  On  arriving  at  the  inter 
section  of  the  roads  described,  Colonel  Richardson  ordered 
Captain  Julian  with  his  company  to  take  the  advance,  and 
proceed  south  on  the  road  in  the  direction  of  Cove  Creek. 
Captain  Julian  had  not  advanced  more  than  two  miles,  when 
he  captured  three  Southern  soldiers  and  sent  them  back, 
and  advancing  again  a  short  distance,  came  in  sight  of  the 
camp  of  the  Southern  forces  which  he  thought  were  at 
least  two  thousand  men  strong.  The  Colonel  examined  the 
prisoners  and  obtained  from  them  the  information  that  he 
was  within  a  mile  of  the  main  Confederate  army,  which  was 
moving  up  the  mountain  on  the  direct  road  to  Cane  Hill. 
He  then  fell  back  a  mile  or  so  and  immediately  sent  mes 
sengers  to  report  to  General  Blunt  the  presence  of  this  large 
Confederate  force  within  a  few  miles  of  his  headqaurters. 
The  General  could  not  feel  certain  whether  the  main  Con 
federate  force  was  being  massed  in  his  front  to  fight  him 
early  the  next  morning  or  whether  the  Confederate  cav 
alry,  with  which  his  troops  had  been  skirmishing  during 
the  day  were  concealing  the  real  movements  of  the  main 
force  under  General  Hindman. 

Knowing  that  the  enemy  were  in  force  on  the  immediate 
Federal  front  and  in  view  of  the  strong  probability  of  a 
general  engagement  the  next  day,  the  men  of  Colonel  Cloud's 
Third  Brigade  were  ordered  to  bivouac  on  their  arms  that 
night  at  the  front  just  south  of  Newburg.  At  two  o'clock 
on  the  mornings  of  the  5th,  6th  and  7th,  the  Federal  troops 
at  Cane  Hill  and  Rhea's  Mills  were  ordered  to  strike  tents 
and  load  up  their  baggage  and  camp  equipage,  and  the  mule 
teams  were  harnessed  and  hitched  up,  and  the  wagons  stood 
ready  until  daylight  to 'move  at  a  moment's  notice. 

In  the  midst  of  the  preparations  for  the  coming  strug 
gle  General  Blunt  wras  much  gratified  to  have  Colonel  Wick- 
ersham  report  to  him  about  ten  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the 
6th  with  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  which  General  Herron  had 


124  The  Unicm  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

sent  forward  from  Cross  Hollow.  He  also  received  a  dis 
patch  from  General  Herron  stating  that  he  would  reach 
Fayetteville  by  daylight  Sunday  morning,  the  7th.  Feeling 
that  the  impending  conflict  was  at  hand,  shortly  after  mid 
night  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  General  Blunt  again  di 
rected  Colonel  Richardson  to  proceed  with  his  own  battalion 
and  Captain  Conkey's  company,  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry, 
east  on  the  Hog-Eye  road  to  the  crossing  of  the  Fayetteville 
and  Cove  Creek  road,  to  ascertain  whether  the  Southern 
forces  were  moving  in  the  direction  of  Fayetteville,  and  if 
they  were  to  resist  them  to  the  last  extremity  and  to 
promptly  notify  him  of  their  movements.  The  Colonel 
moved  forward  with  his  detachment,  but  before  reaching 
the  intersection  of  the  roads  met  Captain  Coleman  of  the 
Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry,  with  thirty  men  who  had  just  been 
driven  from  the  junction  of  the  roads  by  the  enemy  and 
who  reported  that  the  Confederates  were  advancing  up  the 
Cove  Creek  road  in  strong  force. 

Thinking  that  the  Southern  forces  were  advancing  on 
Cane  Hill,  Colonel  Richardson  fell  back  about  a  mile  and 
took  up  a  strong  position  to  resist  them,  and  sent  a  mes 
senger  to  report  to  General  Blunt;  but  waiting  for  a  short 
time  and  finding  that  the  enemy  were  not  advancing,  he 
sent  Captain  Julian  forward  again  with  a  small  detachment 
to  ascertain  their  movements. 

The  Captain  soon  discovered  that  the  Confederate  forces 
were  marching  in  the  direction  of  Fayetteville,  and  then 
hastily  returned  and  reported,  and  General  Blunt  was 
promptly  notified. 

Acting  on  the  information  that  the  enemy  were  ad 
vancing  on  Cane  Hill,  General  Blunt  and  staff  at  seven 
o'clock  left  his  headquarters  and  rode  to  the  front,  expect 
ing  soon  to  open  the  battle.  Although  a  considerable  force 
of  Confederate  cavalry  were  yet  on  the  mountain  in  his 
front,  he  soon  received  information  that  the  main  Southern 
army  were  marching  northeast  in  the  direction  of  Fayette- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  125 

ville,  on  the  Cove  Creek  road,  and  had  already  passed  the 
point  where  that  road  was  intersected  by  the  Hog-Eye  road. 
He  was  much  chagrined  on  receiving  this  information,  and 
immediately  ordered  all  his  transportation  to  Rhea's  Mills, 
guarded  by  Colonel  Phillips'  Third  Indian  Regiment,  and  di 
rected  Colonel  Judson  to  take  his  regiment,  the  Sixth  Kan 
sas  Cavalry,  and  two  howitzers,  together  with  Colonel  Rich 
ardson's  detachment,  and  proceed  as  rapidly  as  practicable 
on  the  Hog-Eye  road,  and  if,  on  arriving  there,  the  enemy 
had  passed  in  the  direction  of  Fayetteville,  to  follow  them 
and  attack  them  vigorously,  which  he  did  with  good  effect. 

Colonel  Wickersham  was  ordered  to  proceed  at  once 
with  his  brigade  of  cavalry  on  the  Cane  Hill  and  Fayette 
ville  road  in  the  direction  of  Fayetteville,  to  form  a  junction 
with  General  Herron,  who  was  coming  up  with  his  forces. 
General  Salomon  commanding  the  First  Brigade,  was  or 
dered  to  follow  Colonel  Wickersham,  and  the  Second  Brigade, 
under  Colonel  William  Weer,  and  the  Third  Brigade  under 
Colonel  Cloud,  were  withdrawn  from  the  front  south  of  New- 
burg  about  nine  o'clock  and  directed  to  follow  close  in  the 
rear  of  the  first  brigade.  Time  was  an  important  element 
in  the  situation,  and  the  moment  General  Blunt  decided  to 
make  these  movements  he  sent  two  mounted  messenger 
parties  with  dispatches  to  notify  General  Herron,  but  fail 
ing  to  take  the  precaution  to  send  them  via  Rhea's  Mills, 
they  were  cut  off  by  General  Marmaduke's  advance.  Col 
onel  Wickersham,  who  had  moved  in  advance,  instead  of 
keeping  on  the  direct  road  towards  Fayetteville,  about  three 
miles  north  of  Cane  Hill,  took  a  left  hand  road  leading  to 
Rhea's  Mills. 

The  infantry  and  artillery  following  the  cavalry  kept 
the  same  road  until  General  Blunt  rode  forward  and  over 
took  Colonel  Wickersham  and  directed  him  to  proceed  in 
the  direction  of  Fayetteville,  and  endeavor  to  open  communi 
cation  with  General  Herron,  who  had  already  engaged  the 
enemy.  General  Salomon,  with  the  First  Brigade,  was  sent 


126  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

to  Rhea's  Mills  to  guard  the  Federal  trains,  arriving  there 
about  twelve  o'clock.  General  Blunt  then  took  the  Second 
and  Third  Brigades  and  marched  on  an  obscure  country 
road  in  a  northeast  direction,  a  direction  in  which  artillery 
firing  had  just  been  heard. 

General  Hindman  had  up  to  a  late  hour  of  the  6th,  made 
all  his  preparations  to  fight  General  Blunt  in  his  position 
on  Cane  Hill.  His  infantry  and  artillery  had  moved  up,  and 
were  in  position  to  make  an  attack  on  the  Federal  troops 
the  next  morning. 

He  had  heard  of  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Wickersham's 
cavalry  brigade  to  re-inforce  General  Blunt,  but  this  infor 
mation  did  not  change  his  purpose  to  make  the  proposed  at 
tack.  On  the  night  of  the  6th,  however,  after  his  generals 
had  assembled  to  receive  their  final  instructions  in  regard 
to  carrying  into  effect  the  movements  decided  upon,  he  re 
ceived  information  that  General  Herron  would  reach  Fay- 
etteville  that  night  with  large  re-inforcements  of  infantry 
and  artillery  for  General  Blunt. 

After  some  consideration  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
if  he  attacked  General  Blunt  in  front  and  forced  him  from 
his  position,  he  would  fall  back  until  he  met  his  re-inforce 
ments,  after  which  he  would  probably  assume  the  offensive. 
General  Hindman,  therefore,  decided  to  abandon  the  pro 
posed  attack  on  the  Federal  position  at  Cane  Hill,  to  with 
draw  his  troops  from  their  several  positions,  and  to  push 
them  forward  on  the  Cove  Creek  and  Fayetteville  road,  and 
attack  the  Federal  column  under  General  Herron,  and  if 
possible,  crush  it  before  General  Blunt  could  come  up  to  its 
assistance.  To  deceive  General  Blunt  as  long  as  possible 
in  regard  to  this  new  movement,  General  Hindman  left 
Colonel  Monroe  with  a  brigade  of  Arkansas  cavalry  on  the 
crest  of  the  mountain  in  front  of  the  Federal  position,  with 
instructions  to  dismount  his  men  at  daylight  and  skirmish 
as  infantry  with  the  Federal  troops,  and  detain  them  as 
long  as  possible,  a  clever  stratagem  by  which  he  hoped  to 
benefit  largely. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  127 

In  the  next  place  orders  were  issued  to  brigade  and 
division  commanders  of  the  Southern  army,  to  have  their 
troops  in  proper  positions  and  in  readiness  to  march  at  three 
o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  the  7th.  But  on  account  of 
some  unavoidable  detentions,  the  troops  were  not  all  in 
motion  until  nearly  four  o'clock.  The  road  was  very  rough, 
so  that  the  artillery  and  infantry  were  obliged  to  move 
slowly.  General  Marmaduke's  cavalry  division,  consisting 
of  Colonels  Shelby's  and  McDonald's  brigades,  marched  in 
the  advance  with  a  battery  of  light  artillery. 

Moving  down  the  northern  slope  of  the  mountain,  a 
distance  of  about  eight  miles  northeast  of  Cane  Hill,  Gen 
eral  Marmaduke's  advance  came  in  sight  at  daylight  of 
Colonel  M.  La  Rue  Harrison's  First  Arkansas  Unian  Cavalry, 
and  detachments  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventh  Regiments,  Mis 
souri  Cavalry,  marching  southwest  on  the  Cane  Hill  road 
near  its  junction  with  the  Cove  Creek  and  Fayetteville  road, 
to  re-inforce  General  Blunt.  Colonel  Harrison  had  been  or 
dered  forward  from  Elkhorn,  and  on  the  night  of  the  6th 
encamped  on  the  Fayetteville  and  Cane  Hill  road  near  Illi 
nois  Creek.  Major  Bredett,  commanding  detachments  of 
the  Seventh  and  Sixth  Missouri  Cavalry,  had  marched  nearly 
all  night,  and  having  no  information  that  the  enemy  had 
flanked  General  Blunt,  halted  a  few  moments  at  daylight 
near  the  camp  of  the  First  Arkansas  Cavalry,  to  feed  and 
rest  his  tired  and  much-worn  horses.  Lieutenant  L.  Bunner 
had  been  marching  with  his  company  since  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning  about  half  a  mile  in  advance  of  the  other  com 
panies  of  the  regiment,  to  guard  against  a  surprise.  In 
probably  less  than  ten  minutes  after  Major  Bredett's  com 
mand  had  halted  near  the  entrance  to  a  lane  to  feed  their 
horses,  a  company  of  the  Eighth  Missouri  Cavalry,  also  on 
the  march  to  Cane  Hill,  passed  them  and  entering  the  lane, 
had  got  nearly  through  it,  when  a  volley  was  fired  into 
them  by  an  unseen  foe  from  the  thick  woods  on  their  left 
front.  The  company  instantly  retreated,  falling  back 


128  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War. 

through  Major  Bredett's  column.  On  hearing  the  firing  the 
Major  ordered  his  men  to  mount  their  horses  and  form  in 
line  to  resist  the  enemy,  who  were  seen  approaching.  He 
had  scarcely  formed  his  men  in  line  when  Colonel  McDon 
ald's  Confederate  Cavalry  Brigade  rapidly  advanced  within 
range  and  commenced  pouring  such  heavy  volleys  of  mus 
ketry  into  his  line  from  his  left,  front  and  rear  that  he  was 
obliged  to  order  the  retreat  sounded. 

After  retreating  a  short  distance  this  gallant  officer 
rallied  and  formed  his  men  in  line,  but  being  pressed  by  a 
superior  force  from  all  sides,  he  was  wounded  and  killed  and 
his  men  dispersed  and  pursued,  some  of  whom  were  wounded 
and  captured. 

Colonel  McDonald,  in  crossing  over  from  the  Cove  Creek 
and  Fayetteville  road  to  the  Cane  Hill  road,  got  between 
Major  Bredett  and  his  advance  guard  under  Lieutenant 
Bunner,  and  on  hearing  the  firing  in  his  rear,  the  Lieutenant 
turned  back  with  his  company  to  join  his  command,  but  had 
proceeded  only  a  few  hundred  yards  when  he  saw  advancing 
directly  in  his  front  a  full  company  wearing  the  Federal 
uniform.     Supposing  the  company  to  belong  to  the  First 
Arkansas  Cavalry,  he  allowed  them  to  approach  within  fifty 
yards,  when  they  opened  fire  upon  him.    But  still  thinking 
they  were  Federal  soldiers,  he  called  out  to  them  to  cease 
firing,  that  'We  are  friends."    In  another  instant  he  became 
satisfied  that  they  were  disguised  enemies,  and  then  with 
drew   his   company   with   the   loss   of   one    man   severely 
wounded  and  five  horses  killed  and  wounded.    The  enemy 
who  were  wearing  the  Federal  uniform  proved  to  be  Quan- 
trill's  company  of  bandits,  whose  hands  were  reeking  with 
the  blood  of  murdered  Union  citizens  of  Missouri.     After 
the  fall  of  Major  Bredett,  his  command  dispersed  in  every 
direction,  but  the  men  of  each  company  kept  together,  and 
rallied  and  fought  when  not  pressed  by  greatly  superior 
numbers. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  129 

Captain  William  McKee,  in  making  a  stand  with  his 
company,  became  surrounded  and  was  killed  while  trying: 
to  cut  his  way  through  the  Confederate  line.  In  their  rapid 
movements,  Colonels  McDonald's  and  Shelby's  brigades  soon 
came  up  and  attacked  and  routed  the  First  Arkansas  Union 
Cavalry,  capturing  all  their  wagons,  baggage  and  camp 
equipage. 

In  pursuing  the  detachments  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventh 
Regiments  Missouri  and  First  Arkansas  Cavalry,  the  Con 
federate  cavalry  also  became  scattered,  and  it  was  at  this 
time  that  a  company  of  the  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry  ral 
lied  and  captured  Colonel  Shelby  and  two  pieces  of  artillery. 
The  Federal  detachments,  however,  were  unable  to  hold 
their  prizes  very  long,  for  on  returning  from  the  pursuit  of 
the  main  body  of  the  Federal  cavalry  in  the  direction  of 
Fayetteville,  Lieutenant-Colonel  M.  L.  Young,  McDonald's 
cavalry  regiment,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  R.  P.  Crump, 
First  Texas  Cavalry  Regiment  Partisan  Rangers,  of  Mc 
Donald's  cavalry  brigade,  recaptured  Colonel  Shelby  and 
his  battery. 

After  resting  an  hour  at  Fayetteville,  General  Herron, 
at  four  o'clock,  pushed  on  with  such  of  his  troops  as  had 
arrived,  sending  forward  Major  Hubbard  with  two  com 
panies  of  the  First  Missouri  Cavalry  as  an  advance  guard. 
When  about  ten  miles  southwest  of  Fayetteville,  he  met 
the  First  Arkansas  Cavalry  and  detachments  of  the  Seventh 
Missouri  Cavalry  retreating  in  great  disorder.  He  succeeded 
in  rallying  part  of  the  retreating  troops  and  ordering  the 
fence  of  a  field  thrown  down  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the 
road,  threw  his  two  companies  into  line  in  a  wheat  field  to 
check  the  enemy.  The  Confederate  cavalry  soon  approached 
in  large  numbers  within  two  hundred  yards  and  filing  off  to 
the  right  and  left  of  the  road,  commenced  to  flank  him. 
Seeing  that  the  Confederate  force  was  too  strong  to  con 
tend  with,  he  was  obliged  to  order  a  retreat,  but  having 
several  fences  to  throw  down,  his  command  was  much  im 
peded  in  its  movements. 


130  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

The  Confederate  officers,  seeing  the  situation,  ordered 
a  charge,  and  dashing  upon  the  Federal  cavalry,  cut  off 
and  captured  Major  Hubbard  and  several  of  his  men  while 
trying  to  cross  a  fence.  Captain  A.  L.  Burrows  then  took 
command  of  the  two  companies  and  marched  them  rapidly 
in  the  direction  of  the  mountain,  a  mile  or  so  distant,  and 
on  arriving  near  its  base  fell  in  with  some  two  hundred 
stragglers  of  the  First  Arkansas  and  Sixth  and  Seventh 
Regiments,  Misssouri  Cavalry,  and  ordered  them  into  line 
to  make  a  stand  to  check  the  enemy  who  were  still  pursu 
ing  them.  On  seeing  the  Federal  cavalry  forming  in  line, 
the  Confederate  column  soon  came  to  a  halt,  and  after  some 
skirmishing  commenced  to  fall  back.  In  the  meantime  de 
tachments  of  the  First  Arkansas  and  Seventh  Missouri  Cav 
alry,  which  had  retreated  on  the  Fayetteville  road,  met 
General  Herron  with  his  escort,  consisting  of  one  company 
of  the  First  Missouri  Cavalry,  under  Captain  J.  M.  Adams, 
and  after  some  threats  and  decided  and  drastic  action,  halted 
his  retreating  troops,  and  formed  them  in  line.  He  saw 
that  the  situation  required  energetic  action  to  save  his  com 
mand  from  possible  disaster.  He  immediately  ordered  for 
ward  two  regiments  of  infantry  and  Captain  Foust's  battery 
Missouri  Light  Artillery.  When  his  infantry  and  artillery 
arrived  at  the  front,  General  Marmaduke's  cavalry  had  ap 
proached  in  strong  force  and  formed  in  line  of  battle  to 
contest  the  Federal  advance.  With  very  little  delay,  Gen 
eral  Herron  examined  and  took  in  the  situation  and  di 
rected  Captain  Foust  to  open  fire  with  his  battery,  using 
mostly  shell,  upon  the  enemy,  and  soon  put  them  to  flight, 
and  pursued  them  four  miles  to  the  crossing  of  Illinois 
Creek.  The  course  of  the  creek  through  the  county  is  from 
southeast  to  northwest,  but  at  the  point  where  the  Fayette 
ville  road  crosses  it  it  flows  nearly  due  west,  and  a  short 
distance  below  the  ford  it  changes  its  course  and  flows 
nearly  due  north  for  about  one  mile  parallel  with  the  road, 
when  it  again  changes  its  course  to  the  northwest. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  131 

On  reaching  the  high  ground  just  north  of  the  creek, 
General  Herron,  looking  over  the  fields  and  open  spaces 
beyond  it  with  his  field  glasses,  discovered  the  Confederate 
army  in  position,  occupying  the  high  ridges  covered  with 
a  thick  growth  of  young  timber  and  underbrush,  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  the  ford.  On  the  left 
hand  side  of  the  road,  for  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  south 
of  the  creek,  the  ground  was  a  high  plateau  covered  with 
timber.  South  of  this  timber  extending  to  the  foot  of  the 
ridge  on  which  the  enemy  were  posted,  there  were  several 
cultivated  fields.  On  the  right  of  the  road  from  a  short 
distance  south  of  the  creek  to  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  there 
were  several  fields  with  intervening  open  ground. 

Prairie  Grove  Church  was  two  miles  southwest  of  the 
crossing  of  Illinois  Creek,  near  the  junction  of  the  Cane 
Hill  with  the  Cove  Creek  and  Fayetteville  roads.  The  two 
hostile  armies  were  now  confronting  each  other  and  ready 
to  engage  in  fierce  conflict.  After  reviewing  the  situa 
tion  for  a  moment,  General  Herron  was  satisfied  that  the 
Confederate  army  had  passed  General  Blunt  by  turning  his 
left  flank.  Though  he  was  not  advised  of  the  strength  of 
the  Confederate  army,  he  determined  to  attack  it  at  once, 
hoping  that  the  artillery  firing  would  bring  up  and  into 
action  the  Kansas  General  with  his  division.  He  crossed 
the  creek  with  one  of  his  staff  and  rode  forward  to  place 
his  infantry  and  artillery  in  position  to  open  the  battle. 
Inspired  by  the  courage  and  devotion  of  their  gallant 
leader,  his  artillery  companies  were  bringing  up  his  twenty 
guns  at  a  gallop,  and  his  foot-sore  infantry  were  coming 
forward  on  the  double-quick. 

He  desired  to  determine  for  himself  suitable  positions 
for  his  batteries  and  after  a  careful  inspection  of  the 
ground  in  front,  he  ordered  Lieutenant  C.  L.  Edwards  to 
cross  the  creek  with  a  section  of  Foust's  battery,  First 
Missouri  Light  Artillery,  advance  to  the  high  ground  on 
the  left  of  the  road  in  the  edge  of  the  timber,  and  open 


132  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War. 

fire  upon  the  enemy  with  shot  and  shell.  Lieutenant-Col 
onel  McNulta,  commanding  the  Ninety-fourth  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers,  was  directed  to  support  Lieutenant  Ed 
wards'  section  of  artillery  in  the  movement  thus  ordered. 
The  Lieutenant  soon  reached  a  point  with  his  guns  from 
which  the  enemy  were  seen  drawn  up  in  line  about  half 
a  mile  off,  and  at  ten  o'clock  opened  fire  upon  them.  In  a 
few  moments  the  Confederate  batteries  replied  with  twelve 
pieces,  and  with  such  energy  that  General  Herron  with 
drew  the  section  of  artillery  and  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois 
Infantry  from  the  advanced  position  taken  up.  He  saw 
it  would  not  be  prudent  to  order  his  troops  to  cross  the 
stream  at  the  ford,  unless  he  could  draw  the  attention  of 
the  Confederate  batteries  to  some  other  point,  as  they 
were  posted  to  command  the  ford  by  concentrating  the 
fire  of  all  their  guns  upon  it.  His  infantry  and  artillery 
were  rapidly  coming  up  and  forming  in  line,  and  he  deter 
mined  to  cross  the  creek  without  unnecessarily  exposing 
his  troops  to  an  enfilading  fire  of  the  Confederate  artillery. 
He  made  some  further  examination  of  the  terrain,  and 
found  that  the  stream  could  be  crossed  about  a  half  mile  be 
low  the  regular  ford  by  cutting  a  road  through  the  timber, 
and  this  proposed  crossing  would  enable  him  to  take  up  a  po 
sition  south  of  the  creek  beyond  the  range  of  the  Con 
federate  batteries. 

He  therefore  ordered  Colonel  Huston,  commanding  the 
second  division,  to  have  a  sufficient  number  of  men  de 
tailed  to  cut  out  the  proposed  road  with  as  little  delay  as 
possible. 

The  plan  of  the  General  was  to  have  one  of  his  bat 
teries  cross  the  creek  by  the  new  road,  advance  to  the  high 
open  ground  on  his  extreme  right,  and  open  fire  upon  the 
enemy,  hoping  to  draw  the  fire  of  their  batteries,  so  that 
the  artillery  of  his  third  division  could  cross  the  creek  at 
the  regular  ford  without  having  to  face  a  storm  of  shot  and 
shell.  The  moment  the  new  road  was  opened,  Colonel  Hus- 


Thz  Union  Indian   Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  1 33 

ton  moved  Captain  David  Murphy's  long-range  rifle  battery, 
First  Missouri  Light  Artillery,  across  to  the  south  side  of 
the  creek,  and  then  dividing  it  into  half  batteries,  placed 
the  left  half  of  three  pieces,  under  Captain  Murphy,  in  a 
commanding  position  north  of  the  spring  branch  on  the 
extreme  right ;  and  the  right  half  pieces,  under  Lieutenant 
James  Marr,  in  a  good  position  four  hundred  yards  to  the 
left  on  the  south  side  of  the  spring  branch  in  front  of  the 
Confederate  center.  The  section  of  the  Peoria  Battery,  Illi 
nois  Light  Artillery,  under  Lieutenant  Borris,  was  posted 
about  three  hundred  yards  to  the  left  of  Lieutenant  Marr, 
near  the  Fayetteville  road.  Colonel  William  McE.  Dye,  com 
manding  the  second  brigade,  Second  Division,  was  ordered 
to  support  the  two  batteries,  and  Colonel  John  C.  Black, 
commanding  the  thirty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  was  di 
rected  to  move  to  the  right  to  support  the  pieces  under 
Captain  Murphy.  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  B.  Leake,  command 
ing  the  Twentieth  Iowa  Infantry,  was  ordered  to  support 
the  pieces  under  Lieutenant  Marr  on  the  left. 

Col.  J.  G.  Clark,  commanding  the  first  brigade,  sec 
ond  division,  was  ordered  to  occupy  with  his  regiment,  the 
Twenty-sixth  Indiana  Infantry,  a  position  one  hundred 
yards  in  the  rear  of  the  center  of  Colonel  Dye's  brigade,  as 
a  reserve.  At  twelve  o'clock  the  three  regiments,  following 
Captain  Murphy's  battery,  waded  the  creek  and  marched 
to  the  positions  assigned  to  them.  While  Colonel  Huston  was 
thus  moving  into  position  on  the  right  with  the  troops  and 
artillery  of  the  second  division,  General  Herron  was  pre 
paring  to  cross  the  creek  at  the  regular  ford  with  the 
troops  and  artillery  of  the  third  division  under  the  cover  of 
Captain  Murphy's  battery. 

At  twelve-thirty  o'clock  Captain  Murphy  fired  the  sig 
nal  gun,  and  a  moment  later  the  other  two  pieces,  the  half- 
battery  under  Lieutenant  Marr  and  the  section  under  Lieu 
tenant  Borris,  opened  fire  upon  the  Confederates,  who  re 
plied  with  twelve  pieces  with  much  energy.  The  moment 


134  Thz  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

the  signal  gun  was  fired  by  Captain  Murphy's  battery, 
Colonel  W.  W.  Orme,  commanding  the  second  brigade,  third 
division,  consisting  of  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  McNulta,  the  Nineteenth  Iowa  Infantry 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Samuel  McFarland,  and  Captain 
Foust's  battery,  First  Missouri  Light  Artillery,  moved  for 
ward  and  crossed  the  creek  at  the  regular  ford,  under  a 
heavy  fire  from  the  Confederate  artillery,  and  immediately 
prepared  for  action. 

Colonel  Henry  Bertram,  commanding  the  first  brigade, 
third  division,  moved  forward  with  the  Twentieth  Regiment, 
Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  Captain  Frank  Backof's  battery, 
First  Missouri  Light  Artillery,  following  close  upon  the  rear 
of  Colonel  Orme's  brigade,  also  received  a  heavy  fire  from 
the  Confederate  batteries  before  his  command  had  crossed 
the  creek.  The  artillery  companies  of  Captains  Foust  and 
Backof  came  to  the  front  on  a  gallop  and  went  into  battery 
a  short  distance  in  the  advance  of  the  infantry,  on  the  right 
and  left  of  the  road,  and  opened  fire  upon  the  Confederate 
batteries  and  position,  and  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes  after 
his  signal  gun  was  fired  General  Herron  had  eighteen  pieces 
of  artillery  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek,  playing  upon  the 
Confederate  position  on  the  ridge,  with  shot  and  shell. 

This  storm  of  shot  and  shell  sent  by  his  batteries 
screeching  into  the  Confederate  lines,  exploding  and  tearing 
the  timber  into  splinters,  soon  brought  out  all  General 
Hindman's  artillery,  consisting  of  twenty-two  pieces. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
BATTLE  OF  PRAIRIE  GROVE— Concluded 

The  battle  was  rapidly  developing.  After  crossing  the 
creek,  Colonels  Orme  and  Bertram  formed  their  brigades 
in  line  under  cover  of  the  bluff  on  the  left  and  right  of  the 
road.  Colonel  McNulta,  with  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois, 
formed  on  the  left  of  the  line ;  Colonel  McFarland,  with  the 
Nineteenth  Iowa,  formed  in  the  center;  and  Colonel  Bert 
ram,  with  the  Twentieth  Wisconsin,  formed  on  the  right, 
the  right  of  his  line  extending  nearly  to  Colonel  Huston's 
left.  After  the  firing  of  General  Herron's  signal  gun,  the 
batteries  of  the  opposing  armies  engaged  in  a  furious  con 
test,  and  the  roar  of  artillery  and  of  exploding  shells  was 
continuous  for  nearly  an  hour,  when  the  superior  handling 
of  the  Federal  batteries  had  silenced  nearly  every  gun  of 
the  Confederate  batteries  and  compelled  them  to  seek  shel 
ter  behind  the  thick  woods.  During  this  artillery  combat 
preparations  were  rapidly  made  on  both  sides  for  engaging 
in  conflict  with  small-arms  at  close  quarters.  The  detach 
ments  of  the  First,  Sixth  and  Seventh  Regiments,  Missouri 
Cavalry,  which  had  been  dispersed  in  the  morning  by  Gen 
eral  Marmaduke's  cavalry  division,  had  now  nearly  all  been 
collected  under  their  proper  officers,  and,  after  reporting 
to  General  Herron,  were  assigned  to  duty  on  his  flanks  and 
as  support  to  Lieutenant  Borris's  section  of  the  Peoria  bat 
tery.  Having  used  a  large  amount  of  shot  and  shell  during 
the  day,  the  Federal  batteries  replenished  their  ammuni 
tion  chests  with  grape  and  canister  for  close  work,  which 
was  near  at  hand. 

On  the  Confederate  side,  General  Hindman  had  not 
yet  been  able  to  bring  to  the  front  all  his  forces  to  hurl 
against  General  Herron,  as  had  been  intended.  His  rear 
guard,  trains,  and  a  force  detached  to  guard  prisoners  and 
wagons  captured  in  the  morning  had  been  attacked  by 

135 


136  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  thejCivil  War. 

Colonel  Judson,  who  had  been  sent  out  by  General  Blunt 
from  Cane  Hill  with  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  two  moun 
tain  howitzers,  and  Colonel  Richardson's  detachment  of  the 
Fourteenth  Missouri  Cavalry.  The  booming  of  artillery  in 
his  rear  alarmed  General  Hindman,  and  he  detached  Gen 
eral  Parson's  division  of  infantry  and  sent  it  back  to  check 
the  advance  of  the  Federal  force  under  Colonel  Judson, 
which  he  supposed  was  General  Blunt's  division.  Shortly 
after  twelve  o'clock  he  received  information  that  General 
Blunt  had  left  Cane  Hill,  was  approaching  rapidly,  and 
would  probably  form  a  junction  with  General  Herron  before 
General  Parson  could  reach  the  field  with  his  infantry.  He 
was  therefore  greatly  mortified  when  he  saw  that  the  time 
had  passed  for  attacking  with  his  combined  forces  the 
Federal  divisions  defiantly  drawn  up  in  his  front.  He  was 
also  astonished  at  the  boldness  of  General  Herron  in  cross 
ing  Illinois  Creek  in  the  face  of  superior  force  and  com 
mencing  the  attack,  instead  of  waiting  behind  the  stream 
to  be  attacked. 

Having  compelled  the  Confederate  batteries  to  retire 
out  of  sight  and  having  replenished  his  ammunition  chests 
with  grape  and  canister,  General  Herron  ordered  forward 
his  left  wing,  consisting  of  the  brigades  of  Colonels  Orme 
and  Bertram.  In  this  movement  Captain  Foust's  battery 
was  flanked  on  the  left  by  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  In 
fantry,  and  on  the  right  by  the  Nineteenth  Iowa  Infantry. 
And  Captain  Backof's  battery  was  flanked  on  the  left  by 
the  Nineteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  on  the  right  by  the 
Twentieth  Wisconsin  Infantry.  Colonel  McNulta,  with  the 
Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  advanced  through  the  woods 
and  brush  on  the  left  to  an  open  field  and  engaged  the  Con 
federate  infantry,  and  after  several  volleys  of  musketry 
compelled  them  to  fall  back  to  a  position  behind  a  fence 
on  the  south  side  of  the  field.  To  follow  up  the  advantage 
thus  gained,  the  Colonel  moved  his  regiment  by  the  left 
flank  farther  to  the  left  through  the  woods  and  formed  in 
line  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  Confederate  infantry, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  1 37 

again  opened  fire  upon  them,  and  after  a  short  conflict 
forced  them  to  retire  over  the  hill.  Colonel  McFarland,  in 
compliance  with  instructions  from  Colonel  Orme,  detached 
three  companies  of  the  Nineteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  under 
Lieutenant  Richard  Root  and  sent  them  forward  under  a 
heavy  fire  from  the  enemy  as  skirmishers  to  cover  his  ad 
vance,  and  to  protect  Captain  Foust's  battery,  which  had 
taken  up  a  position  in  a  wheat  field  on  the  left  of  the  road, 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  foot  of  the 
ridge  on  which  the  Confederate  infantry  were  formed  in 
line. 

The  Twentieth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  under  Major  A.  H. 
Starr,  advanced  on  the  right  of  the  road  across  an  open 
field  a  distance  of  five  hundred  yards,  when  Colonel  Bert 
ram  ordered  the  men  to  lie  down  under  cover  of  a  fence. 
Captain  Backof  moved  forward  his  battery  close  on  the 
right  of  Major  Starr,  pouring  a  destructive  fire  of  grape 
and  canister  into  the  Confederate  line  below  the  brow  of 
the  ridge  as  he  advanced. 

In  another  moment  General  Shoup's  division  and 
Colonel  Shelby's  brigade  of  Confederates  were  seen  advanc 
ing  against  the  Federal  left  and  threatening  Captain  Foust'3 
battery. 

To  check  this  movement  of  the  enemy,  and  to  protect 
his  battery,  Colonel  Orme  ordered  Colonel  McNulta  to  with 
draw  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Infantry  from  their  posi 
tion  on  the  extreme  left  and  place  them  in  position  on  the 
outside  of  the  fence,  near  the  battery,  and  to  support  it  at 
all  hazards. 

Captain  Foust  then  divided  his  battery  into  three  sec 
tions,  placing  the  first  section  under  Lieutenant  C.  L.  Ed 
wards,  the  second  section  under  Lieutenant  J.  B.  Atwater, 
and  took  charge  of  the  third  section  himself.  All  the  pieces 
now  opened  with  grape  and  canister  upon  the  Confederate 
infantry  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  dis 
tant  and  drove  them  back  into  the  woods  on  the  ridge  with 


138  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War. 

heavy  casualties.  Colonel  McNulta  now  moved  forward 
again  to  the  position  from  which  he  had  been  withdrawn 
near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  wheat  field  and  opened 
a  heavy  fire  of  musketry  on  the  enemy,  causing  them  to 
fall  back  over  the  hill  in  much  confusion.  While  Colonel 
McNulta  was  thus  engaged  on  the  left  of  the  Federal  line, 
Colonel  Bertram  observed  a  Confederate  battery  supported 
by  infantry  about  two  hundred  yards  in  his  front  near  the 
brow  of  the  hill,  preparing  to  open  fire  upon  him.  He  there 
fore  ordered  the  Twentieth  Wisconsin  Infantry  to  rise  from 
where  they  were  lying  down  and  charge  and  take  the  bat 
tery.  The  regiment,  under  Major  Starr,  moved  forward  in 
gallant  style,  shot  down  most  of  the  artillery  horses  and 
gunners,  captured  the  battery,  and  advanced  to  the  crest  of 
the  hill,  where  they  received  a  terrific  musketry  fire  from 
four  or  five  regiments  of  General  Shoup'3  infantry  divi 
sion,  which  for  a  moment  caused  them  to  recoil,  but,  rally 
ing,  again  returned  the  fire  with  great  firmness  and  reso 
lution. 

The  enemy,  continuing  to  press  forward  in  overwhelm 
ing  numbers,  Major  Starr  was  obliged  to  fall  back  with  his 
regiment  much  weakened  by  casualties,  leaving  the  captured 
battery  after  destroying  as  much  as  possible  of  it  and  ren 
dering  it  temporarily  unfit  for  further  use.  In  the  mean 
time  the  Nineteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  led  by  Colonel  McFar- 
land,  had  been  ordered  to  move  forward  to  support  the 
Twentieth  Wisconsin  Infantry  in  their  fierce  struggle  in 
the  woods. 

Ascending  a  hill  to  the  left  of  the  white  house,  near  the 
road,  Colonel  McFarland  advanced  across  the  orchard  back 
of  the  house  to  within  a  few  yards  of  the  fence,  when  the 
Confederate  infantry,  who  had  been  lying  down,  concealed 
in  the  brush  behind  the  fence,  arose  three  regiments  deep 
and  poured  a  terribly  destructive  fire  of  musketry  into  his 
regiment  from  three  sides,  causing  his  men,  after  a  short, 
fierce  struggle,  to  fall  back  to  Captain  Foust's  battery  on 
the  left  of  the  road  near  the  foot  of  the  hill.  In  this  furious 


Thz  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  139 

charge  Colonel  McFarland  fell,  shot  through  the  body,  and 
his  regiment  sustained  a  heavy  loss  in  killed  and  wounded. 
After  the  death  of  Colonel  McFarland,  Major  D.  Kent  took 
command  and  rallied  the  regiment,  and  in  retiring  recovered 
and  brought  off  the  field  the  colors  of  the  Twentieth  Wis 
consin  Infantry,  which  had  been  dropped  by  the  color  bearer, 
who  had  been  shot  by  the  enemy  when  the  regiment  com 
menced  to  fall  back.  Finding  it  impossible  to  hold  the  po 
sition  on  the  ridge  with  the  force  engaged,  Colonel  Orme 
rode  up  and  ordered  the  rallied  portions  of  the  Nineteenth 
Iowa  Infantry  to  fall  in  and  rally  with  the  Ninety-fourth 
Illinois  Infantry  on  the  left,  and  then  leading  these  troops 
in  person,  he  opened  a  fire  of  musketry  into  the  advancing 
line  of  Confederate  infantry,  and  with  the  assistance  of 
Captain  Foust's  battery,  every  piece  of  which  was  rapidly 
belching  forth  a  perfect  storm  of  canister  into  the  Confed 
erate  line,  succeeded  in  checking  and  driving  it  back  into 
the  woods  on  the  brow  of  the  hill.  While  the  infantry  of 
the  third  division  were  thus  engaged  in  the  desperate  as 
sault  on  the  ridge,  General  Herron  ordered  Colonel  Huston 
to  bring  up  to  their  support  two  regiments  of  infantry  from 
the  second  division  on  the  right.  The  Colonel,  leading  his 
troops  in  person,  brought  forward  at  double-quick  the 
Twenty-sixth  Indiana  Infantry,  under  Colonel  Clark,  and  the 
Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  under  Colonel  John  C. 
Black,  and  on  arriving  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  near  the 
scene  of  the  conflict,  found  the  infantry  of  the  third  divi 
sion  falling  back  before  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy. 
That  they  had  suffered  severely  in  the  conflict  was  evident 
from  the  number  of  wounded  men  moving  and  being  borne 
to  the  rear.  In  order,  therefore,  to  give  the  decimated  regi 
ments  time  to  rally  and  reform  near  Backof's  and  Foust's 
batteries,  Colonel  Huston  ordered  his  two  regiments  under 
Colonels  Clark  and  Black  to  charge  the  Confederate  posi 
tion  on  the  ridge.  In  advancing  up  the  hill  he  took  the  pre 
caution  to  throw  out  a  company  of  skirmishers  from  each 
regiment  to  cover  its  front  and  guard  against  a  surprise. 


140  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

The  two  regiments  moved  steadily  forward  until  they  had 
passed  the  summit  of  the  hill,  when  the  skirmishers  in  ad 
vance  commenced  firing  upon  the  enemy,  only  a  few  of 
whom  could  be  seen  through  the  thick  brush  and  leaves. 
In  another  moment  the  Confederate  infantry  arose  from 
where  they  were  lying  down  and,  advancing  to  the  front 
three  ranks  deep,  poured  a  destructive  fire  of  musketry  into 
the  Federal  line  at  a  distance  of  less  than  one  hundred 
yards.  Anticipating  an  assault  at  any  moment,  and  seeing 
the  skirmish  line  retiring,  the  Federal  infantry  were  pre 
pared  for  hot  work  and  delivered  their  fire  at  almost  the 
same  instant  as  the  Confederates  and  kept  it  up  with  great 
determination  and  disastrous  effect  for  some  time,  but  were 
finally  forced  by  superior  numbers  of  the  enemy  to  fall  back 
to  a  position  just  in  the  rear  of  the  Federal  batteries. 

After  repulsing  three  desperate  assaults  of  the  Federal 
infantry,  General  Hindman  determined  to  follow  up  his  suc 
cess  by  a  counter  charge,  and  in  a  few  moments  his  infantry 
came  pouring  over  the  crest  of  the  ridge  in  heavy  masses, 
when  Foust's  and  Backof 's  batteries  opened  upon  them  such 
a  destructive  fire  of  grape  and  canister  that  they  were 
obliged  to  fall  back  out  of  range  into  the  woods  and  brush. 
Captain  Murphy's  battery  and  the  section  of  the  Illinois 
Artillery  under  Lieutenant  Borris  were  also  constantly  en 
gaged  in  this  last  and  preceding  conflicts  in  throwing  shot 
and  shell  into  the  Confederate  line,  and  rendered  efficient 
service  in  defending  the  right  of  the  Federal  line.  When 
Colonel  Huston  moved  with  the  Twenty-sixth  Indiana  and 
Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry  to  the  support  of  the  in 
fantry  of  the  Third  Division,  he  left  Colonel  Dye,  of  the 
Second  Brigade,  with  the  Twentieth  Iowa  Infantry  and 
Captain  Murphy's  battery  in  position  on  the  Federal  right. 
While  the  conflict  was  thus  raging  with  great  fury  on  the 
ridge  and  to  the  left  of  the  white  house,  Colonel  Dye  moved 
forward  Murphy's  battery  and  the  Twentieth  Iowa  Infantry, 
under  Colonel  Leake,  on  the  right  of  it,  to  a  position  in  the 
middle  of  the  field,  on  the  right  of  the  main  road  in  front 


Thz  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  141 

of  the  white  house.  From  this  position  his  infantry  ad 
vanced  to  the  timber  on  the  right  of  the  orchard  and  at 
tacked  and  drove  back,  with  the  assistance  of  Murphy's  bat 
tery,  a  large  Confederate  force  that  were  moving  against 
the  Federal  right. 

The  fine  rifled  guns  of  Captain  Murphy's  battery,  in 
the  hands  of  his  well-drilled  company,  threw  percussion 
shells  with  the  accuracy  of  sharp-shooters,  and  after  dis 
abling  several  Confederate  batteries  kept  others  from  com 
ing  into  action  in  exposed  positions.  After  the  terrible  vol 
leys  of  small  arms  had  died  away  along  the  front,  and  Gen 
eral  Herron's  infantry  had  fallen  back  upon  his  artillery, 
complete  silence  reigned  over  the  field  for  a  short  time, 
broken  at  intervals  by  a  shot  or  shell  from  the  hoarse- 
throated  artillery.  General  Hindman  declined  to  advance 
again  from  his  strong  position  under  cover  of  the  timber 
and  brush  to  attack  the  Federal  troops  in  the  open  field, 
and  General  Herron  did  not  feel  strong  enough  to  make  an 
other  assault  single-handed.  His  troops  were  already  greatly 
exhausted  by  long,  forced  marches  and  the  fatiguing  oper 
ations  of  the  day. 

About  two  o'clock  some  of  his  troops  on  the  extreme 
right  heard  distant  rumbling  sounds  towards  the  west  that 
gradually  grew  more  distinct;  a  moment  later  General 
Blunt  was  seen  approaching  at  the  head  of  three  thousand 
cavalry  and  twenty  pieces  of  artillery,  through  a  small 
prairie,  at  full  gallop. 

His  infantry,  having  stripped  for  the  fight  at  Rhea's 
Mills,  were  coming  up  at  double-quick  a  short  distance  in 
his  rear. 

Arriving  on  the  field,  he  soon  discovered  by  rapid  in 
spection  that  the  Confederate  forces  were  in  position  in  his 
front  and,  ordering  up  a  battery,  opened  fire  upon  them 
with  shell. 


142  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

General  Herron  was  at  once  advised  of  the  arrival  of 
the  First  Division  on  the  field,  and  the  booming  of  artillery 
on  the  right  announced  to  his  nearly  exhausted  troops  that 
their  eagerly  looked  for  comrades  had  come  to  their  as 
sistance,  inspiring  them  with  new  courage  and  confidence. 
Colonel  Wickersham,  who  had  moved  with  his  cavalry  bri 
gade  in  advance  of  the  first  division  from  Rhea's  Mills, 
came  upon,  attacked  and  put  to  flight  a  detachment  of  Con 
federate  cavalry  who  were  posted  on  the  extreme  left  of 
the  Southern  army,  at  the  junction  of  the  Cane  Hill  and 
Rhea's  Mills  roads,  watching  for  the  approach  of  General 
Blunt's  division.  Finding  that  he  was  in  front  of  the  posi 
tion  where  the  Southern  forces  were  drawn  up  for  battle, 
the  Colonel  at  once  deployed  skirmishers  in  his  front  and 
detailed  two  companies  from  the  First  Iowa  Cavalry  to 
strengthen  his  advance  guard  and  then  moved  forward  in 
columns  of  squadrons.  On  moving  forward  and  passing  open 
ground  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  And  approaching  the  timber 
to  the  southeast,  his  advance  encountered  and  drew  the  fire 
of  the  enemy  near  a  house  on  the  left  of  the  Confederate 
line  and  instantly  replied  with  their  carbines,  and  after  re 
ceiving  a  re-enforcement  of  another  squadron  of  the  First 
Iowa  Cavalry  succeeded  in  driving  the  enemy  back  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards. 

To  further  strengthen  his  advance  while  forming  his 
brigade  in  line  of  battle,  Colonel  Wickersham  sent  to  its 
support  a  section  of  two-pounder  steel  howitzers  attached  to 
the  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  under  Corporal  Levi  Cassity.  On 
proceeding  down  the  road  the  Corporal  passed  a  short  dis 
tance  beyond  the  line  of  the  advance  Federal  squadrons  with 
his  howitzers  when  a  Confederate  force  less  than  one  hun 
dred  yards  off  fired  a  volley  at  him,  wounded  him  in  the 
arm  severely,  killed  one  of  his  horses  and  wounded  the 
other.  After  this  mishap  the  men  in  charge  of  the  other 
gun  fell  back  rapidly  with  it  to  the  main  column,  then  form 
ing  in  line  and  unlimbering,  sent  several  rounds  of  canister 
into  the  Confederate  force,  causing  it  to  retire  into  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War  143 

timber.  At  the  favorable  moment,  Lieutenant  J.  M.  Sim- 
eral,  First  Iowa  Cavalry,  took  twenty  men,  rescued  the 
abandoned  howitzer  and  Corporal  Cassity,  who  had  re 
mained  with  it,  and  brought  them  back  into  the  Federal  line. 

While  General  Blunt's  cavalry  were  thus  engaged  on 
the  right,  his  three  field  batteries  coming  up  under  whip, 
galloped  into  positions  pointed  out  for  them  by  the  General 
and  his  aids-de-camp  in  an  open  field  about  four  hundred 
yards  to  the  left  and  in  front  of  General  Hindman's  left 
wing. 

Captain  J.  W.  Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Battery  being  in 
advance,  came  into  position  first,  and  immediately  com 
menced  a  heavy  cross-fire  with  shot  and  shell  upon  the  Con 
federate  position,  raking  it  from  left  to  right  and  at  some 
points  enfilading  the  Confederate  lines.  Captain  M.  D.  Ten- 
ney's  First  Kansas  Battery  of  the  Second  Brigade  coming 
up,  took  position  on  the  right  of  Rabb,  and  Captain  Henry 
Hopkins'  Second  Kansas  four-gun  battery  was  placed  in  po 
sition  a  short  distance  to  his  left. 

The  three  batteries  of  sixteen  pieces,  supported  by 
Colonel  Wickersham's  cavalry,  now  hurled  a  terrible  storm 
of  shot  and  shell  into  the  Confederate  lines,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  General  Herron's  eighteen  guns,  about  one- 
half  mile  to  the  left,  succeeded  in  driving  back  the  Confed 
erate  infantry  who  were  being  massed  against  General  Her 
ron's  right  flank. 

His  infantry  coming  up,  General  Blunt  directed  Colonel 
Wickersham  to  move  his  brigade  of  cavalry,  consisting  of 
the  Tenth  Illinois,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  James  Stuart; 
the  First  Iowa,  under  Colonel  James  0.  Gower;  the  Eighth 
Missouri  Cavalry,  under  Colonel  W.  F.  Geiger,  and  the  bat 
talion  of  the  Second  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  under  Major  W.  H. 
Miller,  to  the  extreme  right  of  the  Federal  line,  to  guard 
against  the  movement  of  the  enemy  in  that  direction,  and 
to  keep  the  road  open  to  Rhea's  Mills,  where  General  Salo 
mon,  with  part  of  the  first  brigade,  and  Colonel  Phillips' 
Third  Indian  Regiment  of  the  second  brigade  were  sta- 


1 44  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

tioned,  guarding  the  first  division  trains.  Colonel  E.  Lynde, 
with  part  of  the  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  Major  Calkins, 
with  part  of  the  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  also  occupied  po 
sitions  on  the  Federal  right  flank. 

On  the  arrival  of  General  Blunt's  infantry  upon  the 
field,  the  Second  Brigade,  Colonel  William  Weer  command 
ing,  consisted  of  the  Tenth  Kansas,  under  Major  H.  H.  Wil 
liams,  and  the  Thirteenth  Kansas,  under  Colonel  Thomas  M. 
Bowen,  and  forty-four  men  of  the  Third  Indian  Regiment, 
under  Lieutenant  William  Gallaher,  formed  in  line  on  the 
right,  in  the  rear  of  Captain  Tenney's  rifled-gun  battery. 
The  Tenth  Kansas  Infantry,  with  Lieutenant  Gallaher's  In 
dians  on  the  right  as  skirmishers,  formed  the  right  wing,  a 
dismounted  detachment  of  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry, 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  0.  A.  Bassett,  the  center,  and  the 
Thirteenth  Kansas  Infantry,  the  left  wing  of  the  brigade. 
The  Third  Brigade,  Colonel  Wr.  F.  Cloud  commanding,  con 
sisting  of  part  of  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry ;  the  Eleventh 
Kansas  Infantry,  under  Colonel  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  and  the 
First  Indian  Regiment,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stephen 
H.  Wattles,  formed  on  the  left  of  Colonel  Weer  in  the  rear 
of  Rabb's  and  Hopkins'  batteries.  The  Eleventh  Kansas  In 
fantry  formed  the  right  wing,  part  of  the  Second  Kansas 
Cavalry  the  center,  and  the  First  Indian  Regiment  the  left 
wing  of  the  Third  Brigade;  Colonels  Bassett  and  Wattles 
dismounted  their  regiments  to  fight  on  foot  beside  the  in 
fantry. 

On  the  left  of  Colonel  Wattles'  First  Indian  Regiment, 
Colonel  Leake's  Twentieth  Iowa  Infantry  of  the  Second  Di 
vision  formed  in  line  and  very  soon  after  these  dispositions 
were  made  the  left  wing  of  the  Eleventh  Kansas  Infantry, 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Thomas  Moonlight  and  Major  P. 
B.  Plumb,  was  detached  to  support  Rabb's  battery. 

Directly  after  his  batteries  were  silenced  and  his  in 
fantry  driven  back  into  the  wooo^s  by  Generals  Blunt's  and 
Herron's  batteries,  General  Hindman  determined  to  crush 
Blunt's  division  by  throwing  against  it  the  division  of  Gen- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  145 

eral  Frost  and  part  of  General  Marmaduke's  division. 
These  troops,  with  two  batteries,  were  at  once  ordered  for 
ward  to  assault  the  Federal  right  under  General  Blunt, 
while  General  Shoup's  division,  consisting  of  Generals  Fa- 
gan's  and  McRae's  brigades,  and  the  brigades  of  McDonald 
and  Shelby,  of  General  Marmaduke's  division,  were  ordered 
to  continue  the  attack  against  the  Federal  left  and  center 
under  General  Herron.  The  artillery  fire  having  slackened, 
the  captains  of  the  Federal  batteries  of  the  First  Division 
having  put  a  generous  supply  of  grape  and  canister  into 
their  caissons,  and  preparations  having  been  made  on  both 
sides  for  a  desperate  struggle,  the  forces  of  the  Confederate 
left  and  center  under  Generals  Frost,  Parsons,  Roane  and 
Marmaduke,  and  of  the  Federal  right  under  General  Blunt, 
commenced  the  advance  against  each  other  about  the  same 
time.  The  second  and  third  brigades  of  General  Blunt's  first 
division,  in  the  order  described,  with  skirmish  lines  thrown 
out,  advanced  from  the  field  and  prairie,  and  entering  the 
timber  to  the  south  encountered  the  Confederate  infantry 
of  Generals  Parson's  and  Roane's  brigades.  In  another  mo 
ment  the  opposing  forces  became  engaged  in  a  severe  con 
flict  with  small  arms,  the  dreadful  roar  of  which  extended 
along  the  entire  front  of  the  Federal  right  wing.  The  storm 
of  leaden  missiles,  flying  thick  as  hail,  rapidly  thinned  the 
ranks  of  the  combatants  by  death  and  wounds,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  Confederate  line  was  driven  back  into  the 
woods,  but,  receiving  re-enforcements,  advanced  again  and 
forced  the  Federal  line  to  retire  almost  to  the  open  ground. 
On  seeing  the  troops  falling  back  before  a  superior 
force  of  the  enemy,  General  Blunt  ordered  Lieutenant  F.  S. 
Stover  to  move  the  section  of  his  twelve-pounder  howitzers 
attached  to  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry  into  the  timber  on 
the  right  of  the  Eleventh  Kansas  Infantry.  At  the  same 
time  Captain  Tenney's  First  Kansas  Battery  was  ordered 
to  a  position  on  the  left  of  that  regiment  near  the  edge  of 
the  timber. 


146  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Ciwl  War. 

The  Federal  infantry  having  re-formed  their  line, 
poured  a  galling  fire  of  musketry  into  the  advancing  line 
of  Confederates,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  howitzers 
and  batteries,  which  now  commenced  playing  upon  the  Con 
federate  line  with  grape  and  canister,  succeeded  in  check 
ing  and  driving  it  back  beyond  the  crest  of  the  hill.  But 
every  time  the  Federal  infantry  endeavored  to  pass  the 
summit  of  the  hill  they  were  met  by  a  terrific  musketry 
fire  from  the  enemy,  which  obliged  them  to  fall  back  a  short 
distance  to  a  less  exposed  position. 

The  men  were  ordered  to  lie  down,  and  by  doing  so 
they  not  only  escaped  almost  unharmed  the  volleys  of 
leaden  hail  hurled  at  them,  but  they  occupied  themselves 
in  keeping  up  an  effective  fire  into  the  Confederate  line  the 
moment  it  came  within  range. 

Thus  the  battle  raged  until  the  sun,  descending  be 
hind  the  mountains,  cast  a  dark  shadow  over  the  bloody 
field.  The  roar  of  artillery  and  small  arms  almost  died  away 
for  a  short  time ;  the  lingering  rays  of  the  sun  were  growing 
dim  upon  the  western  sides  of  the  high  mountain  peaks  to 
the  eastward,  and  the  leaders  of  the  opposing  forces  knew 
that  only  a  short  space  of  time  remained  for  continuing  the 
struggle  before  the  veil  of  darkness  would  cover  all.  A  little 
later,  as  the  shades  of  evening  were  fading  into  twilight, 
General  Blunt  ordered  his  infantry  to  advance  again.  They 
moved  forward  and  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill,  when  Gen 
eral  Frost's  infantry  poured  out  of  the  woods  in  overwhelm 
ing  numbers  and  charged  and,  extending  his  line  beyond 
the  Federal  right,  commenced  a  rapid  flank  movement.  The 
roar  of  small  arms  again  burst  forth  with  great  fury,  but 
after  firing  a  few  rounds  the  Federal  infantry  were  ordered 
by  General  Blunt  to  fall  back  so  as  to  draw  the  enemy  within 
range  of  his  guns,  which  were  double  charged  with  grape 
and  canister. 

General  Hindman  ordered  two  batteries  of  ten  pieces 
into  position  on  his  extreme  left  to  support  General  Frost's 
infantry. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  147 

The  Confederate  infantry  followed  close  upon  the  re 
tiring  Federal  line,  and  on  reaching  the  summit  of  the  hill, 
rushed  forward  with  wild  shouts  in  a  charge  on  the  Fed 
eral  batteries.  They  were  permitted  to  approach  near  the 
edge  of  the  timber,  within  about  one  hundred  yards,  when 
Captain  Tenney's  battery  on  the  right,  Rabb's  battery  in 
the  center  and  Hopkins'  battery  on  the  left  threw  a  per 
fect  storm  of  grape  and  canister  into  their  ranks  and  soon 
sent  them  in  disorder  back  into  the  woods. 

The  Federal  infantry,  by  forming  on  the  flanks  and  in 
the  space  between  the  batteries  and  behind  the  broken 
panels  of  rail  fence  near  the  edge  of  the  timber,  also  by 
rapid  firing,  assisted  in  repulsing  the  charge  of  the  enemy. 

While  the  conflict  was  thus  raging  along  the  front  of 
the  contending  forces,  the  Confederate  batteries  just  re 
ferred  to  as  posted  on  General  Hindman's  left  opened  a  hot 
fire  upon  the  Federal  position  with  shot  and  shell.  To 
neutralize  the  effect  of  this  artillery  fire,  General  Blunt 
ordered  Captain  Tenney  to  turn  his  six  ten-pound  Parrott 
rifled  guns  upon  the  Confederate  batteries.  The  Captain 
instantly  complied,  and  wheeling  his  guns  into  position, 
commenced  throwing  percussion  shells  at  them,  and  in 
less  than  ten  minutes  dismounted  two  of  the  Confederate 
guns,  and  forced  the  others  to  leave  their  position  and  seek 
shelter  behind  the  hill  in  the  thick  wood.  In  this  final 
struggle,  two  twelve-pounder  howitzers  of  the  Third  Wis 
consin  Cavalry,  posted  on  the  Federal  right,  by  throwing 
shell  and  canister  shot,  did  good  work  in  checking  and 
driving  back  the  Confederate  force  attacking  from  that 
quarter. 

Farther  to  the  Federal  left,  in  front  of  Colonel  Cloud's 
brigade,  the  Confederate  infantry  commenced  collecting 
in  large  force  behind  a  farm  house  and  a  stack  of  straw 
near  the  edge  of  the  timber,  with  the  apparent  intention 
of  charging  Rabb's  battery.  A  detachment  of  Confederate 
sharp-shooters  had  also  taken  shelter  in  and  behind  the 
house  and  outbuildings,  and  were  endeavoring  to  pick  off 
mounted  Federal  officers. 


148  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War 

Captain  Rabb's  attention  was  called  to  the  movement 
of  the  enemy  behind  the  straw-pile  and  buildings,  and  he  at 
once  commenced  throwing  shell  into  them;  the  shells 
bursting,  ignited  the  straw,  and  the  house  was  soon  in 
flames.  In  a  few  moments  the  enemy  attempted  to  charge 
the  battery,  but  were  met  by  such  a  terrific  discharge  of 
grape  and  canister  and  volleys  of  musketry  delivered  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Moonlight's  battalion  of  the  Eleventh 
Kansas  Infantry,  led  by  Major  Plumb,  that  they  were  com 
pelled  to  fall  back  into  the  wood. 

Darkness  having  fallen,  the  firing  of  small  arms  ceased 
on  both  sides;  but  General  Blunt's  powerful  batteries  con 
tinued  to  sweep  the  brush  and  wood  in  front  with  a  storm 
of  shot  and  shell  for  some  time  afterward.  Though  General 
Herron's  infantry  of  the  second  and  third  divisions,  except 
Colonel  Leake's  Twentieth  Iowa  Infantry,  were  not  engaged 
at  close  quarters  with  the  enemy  after  General  Blunt  came 
upon  the  field,  his  batteries  under  Murphy,  Backof,  Foust, 
and  Lieutenant  Borris  were  constantly  engaged  from  noon 
until  dark  in  throwing  shot  and  shell  and  grape  and  canister 
into  the  Confederate  ranks  and  position.  So  effective  and 
destructive  was  the  terrible  fire  of  the  Federal  batteries, 
that  General  Hindman  stated  "there  was  no  place  of  shelter 
upon  any  part  of  the  field;"  that  "wounds  were  given  and 
death  inflicted  by  the  Federal  artillery  in  the  ranks  of  the 
reserves  as  well  as  in  the  front  rank." 

In  the  open  fields  the  Federal  batteries  changed  posi 
tions  as  often  as  desirable,  and  still  kept  up  a  steady  fire 
into  the  Confederate  position  along  the  wooded  ridge.  In 
several  instances  the  captains  of  these  batteries,  when 
closely  pressed  by  the  Confederate  infantry,  attached  their 
guns  to  the  limbers  with  prolonges  and  retired  firing.  The 
officers  of  the  long  range  rifled-gun  batteries  of  Murphy 
in  the  center  and  of  Tenney  on  the  Federal  right  were  con 
stantly  on  the  lookout  for  Confederate  batteries;  the  mo 
ment  one  was  discovered  coming  into  position,  or  opening 
fire,  the  guns  of  Captain  Murphy's  or  Tenney's  were  turned 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  149 

upon  it,  and  two  or  three  rounds  of  percussion  shells  were 
generally  sufficient  to  silence  it  or  drive  it  from  the  field. 
It  was  therefore  a  source  of  much  satisfaction  that  they  had 
by  their  excellent  artillery  practice  prevented  the  Con 
federate  batteries  from  inflicting  upon  the  Federal  forces 
any  serious  loss  or  damage. 

Night  dropped  a  veil  of  darkness  between  the  com 
batants,  and  apparently  left  the  contest  undecided;  when 
the  firing  ceased  at  dark,  the  opposing  armies  occupied  the 
positions  they  had  taken  up  on  going  into  action.  The 
Confederate  forces  bivouacked  until  about  midnight  on  the 
wooded  ridge  upon  which  they  formed  in  the  morning ;  and 
the  Federal  forces  bivouacked  in  the  fields  and  open  ground 
in  front  of  the  ridge. 

As  the  fighting  was  in  the  timber  south  of  the  fields 
and  open  ground,  some  of  the  Federal  dead  and  wounded  fell 
within  the  Confederate  lines.  Although  it  was  a  cold,  frosty 
night,  neither  side  ventured  to  make  up  fires  the  early  part 
of  the  night,  so  near  each  other  were  the  combatants  resting 
upon  their  arms.  Assuming  that  General  Hindman  would 
be  in  position  to  renew  the  contest  the  next  morning,  Gen 
eral  Blunt,  commanding  the  three  divisions  of  the  Army 
of  the  Frontier,  determined,  under  cover  of  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  to  strengthen  his  line,  and  have  everything  in 
readiness  to  renew  the  battle  at  daylight. 

His  division  trains,  which  were  at  Rhea's  Mills,  five 
miles  west,  and  exposed  to  attack,  he  ordered  to  Fayette- 
ville,  in  the  rear  of  the  army.  General  Salomon,  command 
ing  the  first  brigade  of  the  first  division,  who  was  guarding 
the  trains  with  the  Ninth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  Colonel 
Phillips'  Third  Indian  Regiment  second  brigade,  and  some 
detachments  of  other  regiments,  was  ordered  to  bring  his 
men  to  the  front  immediately. 

Colonel  Wickersham,  commanding  the  cavalry  brigade, 
was  directed  to  detail  sufficient  cavalry  for  an  escort  to  the 
trains,  and  on  arrival  of  the  troops  the  trains  commenced 
moving  out  from  Rhea's  Mills  about  eight  o'clock,  and 


1 50  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

passing  to  the  rear  of  the  army  the  advanced  teams  reached 
Fayetteville  early  the  next  morning.  In  the  fighting  in  the 
afternoon  about  three  thousand  of  General  Blunt's  cavalry 
were  not  brought  into  action.  The  force  sent  out  under 
Colonel  Judson,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  to  attack  the  rear 
of  the  Confederate  army,  did  not  reach  the  field  until  nearly 
dark.  In  the  rapid  movements  of  the  Federal  troops  from 
Cane  Hill  to  the  battle  field,  quite  a  number  of  men  of  the 
infantry  regiments  were  obliged  to  drop  out  of  the  ranks 
from  exhaustion.  The  strength  of  the  infantry  regiments 
of  General  Herron's  divisions  was  also  greatly  reduced  dur 
ing  the  three  days'  marches  by  the  men  who  were  unable 
to  endure  the  prolonged  exertion  by  dropping  out  of  the 
ranks. 

The  stragglers  and  men  who  had  thus  fallen  out  of 
ranks  were  collected,  as  far  as  practicable,  and  brought  to 
the  front  during  the  night  to  join  their  proper  regiments. 
In  General  Blunt's  division  not  one  of  the  regiments  had 
sustained  a  heavy  loss,  and  in  General  Herron's  second  and 
third  divisfons,  only  three  regiments  had  suffered  severely. 
By  dismounting  part  of  his  cavalry  to  fight  on  foot,  General 
Blunt  could  therefore  go  into  battle  next  morning  much 
stronger  than  he  had  gone  into  the  conflict  just  closed. 
It  would  be  easier  now  to  properly  coordinate  the  move 
ments  of  the  troops  than  it  was  in  the  recent  struggle. 
General  Hindman  had  been  permitted  to  throw  the  weight 
of  his  army  first  against  General  Herron's  two  divisions, 
and  then  engage  General  Blunt's  first  division. 

He  would  not  likely  have  an  opportunity  of  doing  this 
again,  for  General  Blunt  determined  to  have  his  three  di 
visions  next  morning  make  a  simultaneous  attack  upon  the 
Confederate  position,  and  placed  his  troops  and  artillery 
in  position  during  the  night,  well  supplied  with  ammunition. 

To  satisfy  the  pinch  of  hunger,  provisions,  consisting  of 
hard  bread  and  bacon,  were  supplied  by  the  commissariat 
to  the  Federal  troops  to  prepare  them  for  battle.  The 


The  Union    Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  \  5 1 

Federal  wounded  had  also,  as  far  as  practicable,  been  taken 
up  and  properly  cared  by  the  surgeons  and  their  corps  of 
assistants. 

On  the  Confederate  side,  General  Hindman  held  a 
council  with  his  generals,  and,  after  considering  the  situa 
tion,  decided  to  withdraw  his  army  from  the  field  without 
further  struggle,  and  to  fall  back  to  Van  Buren.  His  troops 
commenced  to  withdraw  about  midnight,  and  on  retiring 
kindled  numerous  fires  along  his  front  and  left  them  burn 
ing  for  the  purpose  of  deceiving  the  Federal  army.  To 
get  his  artillery  off  the  field  with  as  little  noise  as  possible, 
the  wheels  of  the  carriages  and  limbers  were  muffled  with 
torn  blankets  of  the  soldiers.  Having  started  his  infantry 
and  artillery  on  the  retreat  to  Van  Buren,  General  Hindman 
remained  near  the  field  with  two  brigades  of  cavalry,  and 
sent  General  Marmaduke,  accompanied  by  several  members 
of  his  staff,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  with  a  communication 
to  General  Blunt,  requesting  a  personal  interview  for  the 
purpose  of  making  provisions  for  burying  the  dead  and 
caring  for  the  wounded  of  the  Confederate  army  left  on  the 
field.  General  Marmaduke  and  his  party  approached  the 
Federal  line  on  the  Fayetteville  road,  and  being  halted 
by  the  vigilant  picket  guards,  on  whose  eye-lids  sweet  sleep 
sat  not,  were  conducted  by  the  officer  of  the  day  to  General 
Herron's  headquarters,  and  held  until  General  Blunt,  whose 
headquarters  were  about  a  mile  distant,  could  be  communi 
cated  with.  General  Blunt  granted  the  interview,  and  the 
next  morning,  shortly  after  sunrise,  accompanied  by  General 
Herron  and  several  officers  of  their  respective  staffs  and 
escorts,  rode  forward  to  meet  Generals  Hindman  and  Mar 
maduke  and  members  of  their  staffs. 

The  interview  lasted  until  ten  o'clock,  during  which 
time  the  commanding  generals  of  the  opposing  forces  en 
tered  into  a  mutual  agreement  in  regard  to  the  exchange  of 
prisoners  and  disposition  of  the  wounded  left  on  the  field. 
General  Hindman  was  given  six  hours  to  bury  his  dead, 
but  the  two  regiments  of  cavalry  left  for  the  purpose,  instead 


152  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

of  attending  to  that  duty  commenced  gathering  up  arms 
from  the  field.  Their  conduct  was  reported  to  General 
Herron,  who  went  in  person  to  the  Confederate  Colonels  and 
informed  them  that  any  of  their  men  found  doing  anything 
else  than  burying  the  dead  would  be  held  as  prisoners  of 
war.  This  firmness  of  the  Federal  General  had  the  effect 
of  stopping  them  from  gathering  up  any  more  arms,  and 
the  Confederate  cavalry  soon  afterward  retired  to  overtake 
General  Hindman,  leaving  the  Confederate  dead  to  be  buried 
by  the  Federal  forces. 

General  Blunt  reported  his  losses  in  the  three  divisions 
of  his  army  during  the  engagement,  167  men  killed,  798 
wounded,  and  183  missing.  On  the  Confederate  side  General 
Hindman  reported  his  casualties  at  164  men  killed,  817 
wounded,  and  336  missing.  A  considerable  proportion  of 
the  Confederate  missing  were  probably  among  the  wounded, 
from  the  fact  that  the  day  after  the  battle  General  Blunt 
furnished  five  thousand  rations  for  one  thousand  Con 
federate  wounded  to  keep  them  from  starving. 

There  were  many  of  General  Hindman's  recently  or 
ganized  Arkansas  regiments  made  up  largely  of  conscripts, 
most  of  whom  probably  were  Union  men  at  heart  and  de 
termined  they  would  not  fight  for  the  Confederacy,  and  when 
forced  to  the  front  could  not  be  made  to  perform  effective 
service.  In  the  course  of  a  week  or  two  after  the  battle, 
hundreds  of  these  men  who  had  been  forced  to  march  to 
the  front,  deserted  and  threw  away  their  arms  and  came 
into  the  Federal  lines  and  gave  themselves  up,  and  soon 
afterwards  enlisted  in  the  First  Arkansas  Union  Infantry 
regiment,  which  had  just  commenced  its  organization. 


CHAPTER  IX 

EXPEDITION  TO  VAN  BUREN 

The  battle  of  Prairie  Grove  was  one  of  the  three 
big  battles  between  the  Union  and  Southern  forces  in  West 
ern  Arkansas  and  Missouri  during  the  war  in  that  region, 
and  the  success  of  the  Union  arms  had  far-reaching  effects 
in  maintaining  the  confidence  in  the  Government  of  those 
who  had  espoused  its  cause  early  in  the  war,  and  it  gave 
many  of  the  people  an  opportunity  of  coming  in  and  showing 
their  devotion  to  the  Union,  and  the  men  of  military  age  a 
chance  to  enlist  in  one  of  several  loyal  Arkansas  regiments 
then  being  organized. 

In  a  few  days  after  the  battle  the  Federal  wounded  were 
removed  from  the  field  hospitals  to  Fayetteville,  where  the 
churches  and  college  were  turned  into  hospitals  to  receive 
them.  As  early  as  practicable  the  Confederate  wounded 
were  gathered  up  from  the  field  and  taken  to  Cane  Hill  in 
ambulances  furnished  by  the  Federal  commanders,  and 
there  provided  with  proper  facilities  for  treatment.  The 
six  hours'  time  given  General  Hindman  to  inter  his  dead 
was  made  good  use  of  in  getting  his  army  over  the  moun 
tains,  safe  from  the  pursuit  of  the  Federal  forces.  When 
five  o'clock  came,  the  hour  at  which  the  flag  of  truce  ex 
pired,  it  was  too  late  in  the  day,  and  the  Confederate  army 
had  got  too  far  from  the  field  for  the  Federal  forces  to 
commence  pursuit.  General  Blunt  did  not  see,  until  he  had 
granted  the  flag  of  truce  for  six  hours,  that  General  Hind- 
man's  solicitude  for  his  dead  was  simply  an  excuse  to  gain 
time  for  getting  his  army  off  the  field  without  a  panic. 

In  the  heat  of  battle  it  was  not  unusual  for  the  dead  to 
lie  upon  the  battlefield  for  several  days,  and  certain  it  was 
that  in  the  cool  weather  of  December  there  was  no  need  of 
being  in  a  hurry  to  make  the  interments  of  those  who  fell 


153 


154  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

at  Prairie  Grove.  There  were  quite  a  number  of  people 
who  lived  in  that  section  within  the  sound  of  the  cannon, 
who  came  to  the  scene  of  the  conflict  in  a  day  or  two  after 
the  battle,  to  ascertain  if  any  of  their  relatives  or  friends 
were  among  the  killed  and  wounded. 

There  were  several  affecting  scenes  of  women  who 
came  to  look  for  their  hujsbands  and  found  them  among  the 
Confederate  dead  in  and  about  the  orchard  where  the  con 
flict  was  severest. 

The  day  after  the  battle  the  troops  of  the  second  and 
third  divisions,  under  General  Herron,  went  into  camp  on 
the  battlefield,  and  the  troops  of  General  Blunt's  division 
returned  to  their  former  positions  at  Rhea's  Mills  and  Cane 
Hill,  their  baggage  and  supply  trains  having  been  ordered 
back  from  Fayetteville  to  those  places.  When  the  troops  of 
the  second  and  third  divisions  had  rested  two  or  three  days, 
and  several  large  wagon  trains  had  arrived  with  supplies 
for  the  army,  Generals  Blunt  and  Herron  had  a  conference 
for  the  purpose  of  deciding  upon  a  plan  of  further  opera 
tions.  They  were  proud  of  the  achievements  of  the  army 
and  it  was  in  excellent  condition  for  any  further  movement ; 
they  had  just  received  information  that  General  Hindman, 
with  the  greater  part  of  his  army,  was  still  north  of  the 
Arkansas  River,  encamped  in  the  vicinity  of  Van  Buren. 
They  therefore  decided  to  take  eight  thousand  picked  men 
of  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery  from  the  three  divisions ; 
cross  the  mountains  in  two  columns,  one  by  the  Telegraph 
road  and  the  other  by  the  Cove  Creek  road ;  and  after  form 
ing  a  junction  south  of  the  mountains,  move  forward  rapid 
ly  and  attack  and  rout  the  Southern  forces  before  they 
could  have  time  to  prepare  defensive  field-works.  But 
severe  winter  weather  setting  in,  with  a  snow  storm  and  a 
six-inch  fall  of  snow,  caused  the  Federal  generals  to  post 
pone  the  contemplated  movement. 

The  few  days  the  stress  of  weather  obliged  them  to 
remain  in  camp  at  Rhea's  Mills  and  Prairie  Grove  were 
usefully  employed  in  strengthening  their  lines  of  communi- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  155 

cations  with  Fort  Scott  and  Springfield,  and  in  thoroughly 
scouting  the  country  a  day's  march  east  and  west  of  their 
positions  with  large  detachments  of  cavalry.  It  was  very 
evident  from  the  large  number  of  deserters  from  the  South 
ern  army  brought  in  by  detachments  of  Federal  cavalry 
thus  sent  out,  that  General  Hindman's  army  was  greatly 
demoralized  and  weakened.  Nearly  all  these  deserters 
claimed  that  they  were  conscripts ;  that  they  were  at  heart 
Union  men,  and  had  been  forced  into  the  Confederate  army 
against  their  wishes.  They  also  stated  that  Colonel  Adams' 
Arkansas  regiment,  made  up  mostly  of  conscripts,  after  the 
first  volley  threw  down  their  arms,  fled  from  the  field, 
and  afterwards  deserted. 

To  inspire  his  troops  with  desperate  courage,  and  to  fill 
their  minds  with  fanatical  hatred  of  the  Federal  troops, 
General  Hindman,  on  the  eve  of  the  battle,  issued  an  ad 
dress  to  his  army,  in  which  he  drew  a  dreadful  and  fiendish 
picture  of  the  foe  his  men  were  to  engage.  Most  of  the 
Confederate  dead  and  wounded  left  on  the  field  had  a  copy 
of  this  rabid  address  in  their  pockets ;  it  probably  had  very 
little  effect  on  his  troops. 

The  weather  having  moderated,  and  a  second  snow  hav 
ing  fallen  and  almost  disappeared,  Generals  Blunt  and  Her- 
ron  met  on  Christmas  night  and  arranged  the  details  for 
their  expedition  to  Van  Buren.  At  three  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  27th,  the  troops  of  the  second  and  third 
divisions,  under  General  Herron  and  Colonel  Huston,  were 
to  march  from  Prairie  Grove,  taking  the  Telegraph  road, 
and  at  the  same  hour  the  troops  of  the  first  division,  under 
General  Blunt,  were  to  march  from  Rhea's  Mills,  taking 
the  Cove  Creek  road  in  their  march  south. 

The  two  columns,  consisting  of  eight  thousand  infantry, 
cavalry  and  thirty  pieces  of  artillery,  were  to  form  a  junc 
tion  near  Lee's  Creek  south  of  the  mountains.  The  day 
before  the  expedition  started,  Colonel  W.  A.  Phillips,  with 
twelve  hundred  Indian  troops,  two  companies  of  the  Sixth 


156  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Kansas  Cavalry,  and  a  section  of  artillery,  was  sent  up  on 
the  right  flank  of  the  army  through  the  Cherokee  Nation 
to  Fort  Gibson,  to  attack  a  Confederate  force  of  Indians  and 
Texans  under  General  Cooper  at  Fort  Davis,  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Arkansas  River. 

Brigadier  General  Salomon  was  left  with  a  regiment  of 
infantry,  a  battery  of  artillery,  and  detachments  from  dif 
ferent  regiments  to  guard  the  first  division  trains  at  Rhea's 
Mills;  there  was  also  left  a  force  considered  sufficient  to 
guard  the  trains  of  the  second  and  third  divisions  at  Prairie 
Grove. 

While  preparations  were  being  made  for  the  expedition 
to  start,  a  report  was  purposely  given  out  and  circulated 
through  the  camps  that  a  demonstration  would  be  made  in 
the  direction  of  Huntsville,  so  that  if  any  of  General  Hind- 
man's  spies  were  present,  they  would  be  misled  in  regard 
to  the  real  destination  of  the  troops.  Everything  being  in 
readiness,  at  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  the 
two  Federal  columns  started  on  the  march  from  Rhea's 
Mills  and  Prairie  Grove  for  Van  Buren  to  complete  the  work 
of  driving  the  Southern  forces  out  of  Western  Arkansas. 
Stripped  for  a  fight  and  well  supplied  with  artillery  and  cav 
alry,  and  having  been  successful  in  all  its  operations,  this 
force  was  a  thoroughly  organized  fighting  machine.  The 
night  of  starting  out  was  chilly,  with  the  temperature  below 
the  freezing  point,  for  the  puddles  in  the  road  were  covered 
with  thin  sheets  of  ice.  The  three  or  four  inches  of  snow 
which  had  recently  fallen  had  not  quite  disappeared  from  the 
north  sides  of  the  mountains,  and  as  all  the  slight  depres 
sions  in  the  road  were  filled  with  slush,  the  outlook  for  the 
infantry  and  artillery  was  not  very  cheerful.  A  few  hours 
marching,  however,  brought  the  troops  daylight,  and  into  a 
region  where  the  snow  and  ice  had  entirely  disappeared,  and 
where  the  road  was  firmer  and  not  quite  so  rough.  The  ad 
vance  of  General  Blunt's  division  struck  the  head  of  Cove 
Creek  about  10  o'clock ;  this  stream  winds  through  the  moun 
tains  in  a  southerly  direction,  and  increased  in  size  as  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  \  57 

troopjs  descended  it.  The  rapid  melting  of  the  snow  in  the 
mountains  and  the  recent  heavy  rainfall  had  started  numer 
ous  little  torrents  which,  pouring  into  it,  had  swelled  it  to 
overflowing.  In  its  winding  gurgling  course  through  the 
mountains,  from  side  to  side  of  the  narrow  valley,  the  road 
crosses  it  in  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  some  thirty-five 
times.  At  first  the  infantry  were  not  much  inconvenienced 
in  crossing  it,  but  gradually  it  became  more  disagreeable, 
for  every  time  they  waded  it,  their  pants  legs  were  wet  a 
little  higher.  When  they  bivouacked  about  ten  o'clock 
on  the  banks  of  the  creek  that  night,  nearly  all  the  clothing 
they  had  on  was  wet,  for  at  the  different  crossings,  since 
dark,  the  water  had  been  waist-deep,  and  it  was  almost 
ice-cold,  for  it  came  mostly  from,  melted  snow  that  had 
just  run  down  in  mountain  torrents.  The  infantry  stood  the 
terrible  day's  march  with  very  little  complaint,  and  suffered 
less  discomfort  than  one  would  have  supposed.  Though 
their  clothing  up  to  their  waists  was  wet  all  the  afternoon 
and  evening,  the  physical  exercise  of  marching  kept  them 
from  getting  chilled.  Immediately  after  halting  that  night 
about  ten  o'clock,  to  bivouac  on  the  bank  of  the  raging 
foaming  and  splashing  creek,  they  kindled  numerous  blazing 
fires  and  dried  their  clothing,  after  which  food  and  refresh 
ing  sleep  prepared  them  for  the  next  day's  march.  The 
bugles  sounded  reveille  at  three  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  the  troops  and  animals  were  re 
freshed  with  food  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  hunger  and 
resumed  the  march. 

The  sky  had  become  partly  overcast  during  the  night 
and  there  was  no  moon,  so  that  it  was  pitch  dark  when  the 
troops  moved  forward.  Colonel  Bassett,  with  part  of  the 
Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  led  the  advance,  and  next  came 
Colonel  Judson  with  part  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  and 
two  mountain  howitzers.  Next  in  the  column  was  Colonel 
Barstow  with  the  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry  and  two  howit 
zers,  followed  by  the  field  artillery,  infantry  and  ambu- 


158  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

lances.  After  crossing  Cove  Creek  five  or  six  times  and 
Lee's  Creek  once,  the  cavalry  at  daylight  struck  the  Tele 
graph  road  at  Oliver's  store,  eighteen  miles  north  of  Van 
Buren. 

A  short  halt  was  made  for  the  infantry  and  artillery 
to  close  up,  and  in  a  few  moments  General  Herron's  advance 
came  in  sight.  That  gallant  officer  had  also  encountered 
difficulties  in  his  march  over  the  mountains  in  the  night. 
He  was  obliged  to  use  twelve  horses  to  the  gun  to  get  his 
artillery  over,  and  in  some  places,  in  addition  to  these,  the 
assistance  of  fifty  men  pulling  on  a  rope  was  required. 
On  resuming  the  march  Generals  Blunt  and  Herron  rode 
at  the  head  of  the  column  a  short  distance  in  the  rear  of 
the  advance  guard.  The  road  was  now  much  wider  and 
better  and  the  cavalry  marched  by  fours. 

About  three  miles  south  of  the  junction  of  the  Cove 
Creek  and  Telegraph  roads,  the  Federal  advance  came  upon 
the  Confederate  pickets,  who,  after  exchanging  shots  with 
the  Federal  cavalry,  fled  in  the  direction  of  their  camp 
on  the  road  to  Van  Buren.  An  exciting  chase  ensued,  in 
which  the  Federal  cavalry  kept  close  upon  the  heels  of 
the  flying  pickets  until  they  reached  the  Confederate  camp 
at  Dripping  Springs,  eight  miles  north  of  Van  Buren.  The 
reports  of  the  shots  in  front  had  scarcely  died  away  on  the 
resonant  morning  air  before  the  entire  column  of  Federal 
cavalry  had  struck  the  gallop,  which  was  kept  up  for  five  or 
six  miles  and  until  the  troops  came  in  sight  of  the  Con 
federate  camp.  To  watch  the  movements  of  the  Federal 
forces  encamped  on  the  north  side  of  the  mountains,  and 
to  cover  Van  Buren  against  attack,  General  Hindman  had 
posted  Colonel  R.  P.  Crump  with  a  brigade  of  Texas  cavalry 
eight  miles  north  of  that  place  at  Dripping  Spring.  Colonel 
Crump's  command  was  on  the  north  side  of  a  high  hill, 
west  of  the  main  road ;  in  his  front,  to  the  north,  were  open 
fields  with  unbroken  fences. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  1 59 

He  had  very  little  time  to  prepare  his  men  for  action, 
for  when  the  picket  came  into  camp  under  whip  and  spurs, 
the  Federal  cavalry  were  coming  up  in  sight.  The  fog  and 
clouds  had  drifted  away;  the  bright  sunshine  had  dispelled 
the  gloom  and  chill  of  the  night,  and  it  was  a  lovely  Sunday 
morning,  and  no  rumor  having  reached  Colonel  Crump  of 
a  Federal  force  being  south  of  the  mountains,  he  allowed 
his  men  to  breakfast  a  little  later  than  usual.  On  coming 
up  on  the  north  .side  of  the  field,  in  sight  of  the  Confederate 
camp,  General  Blunt  in  a  moment  decided  to  charge  it  with 
his  cavalry,  and,  having  in  a  moment  thrown  down  the 
fences  in  a  number  of  places,  his  cavalry  came  into  line 
at  a  trot,  the  Second  Kansas  on  the  left;  the  Sixth  Kansas 
in  the  center,  and  the  Third  Wisconsin  on  the  right,  and 
dashing  across  the  field  at  a  full  gallop,  approached  within 
a  few  yards  of  the  Confederate  camp,  just  beyond  the  fence, 
and  opened  a  heavy  fire  with  their  carbines  upon  such  of 
the  Confederates  as  had  the  courage  to  stand.  Most  of 
Colonel  Crump's  command,  however,  fled  before  the  Federal 
cavalry  got  half  across  the  field,  and  the  remainder,  not 
disabled,  fled  on  receiving  the  volley  from  the  Federal 
carbines.  A  moment  after  firing  the  volley,  the  fence  on 
the  south  side  of  the  field  was  thrown  down,  and  the 
Federal  cavalry  formed  in  the  Confederate  camp  and  moved 
forward  rapidly  in  line  over  the  hill  and  through  the  wood 
in  pursuit  of  the  flying  foe.  In  his  precipitate  retreat, 
Colonel  Crump  twice  endeavored  to  form  his  men  in  line 
to  check  his  irresistible  pursuers,  but  was  unsuccessful. 
General  Blunt  at  once  saw  that  the  Confederate  force  was 
utterly  demoralized;  that  he  need  not  advance  further  in 
line  of  battle,  and  drawing  his  men  into  the  main  road, 
moved  forward  by  fours  in  a  gallop,  close  upon  the  heels  of 
the  Confederate  cavalry  in  their  flight  to  Van  Buren, 
through  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  down  the  north  bank  of 
the  river,  passing  many  overturned  and  wrecked  wagons 
and  teams  cut  out.  The  sight  of  the  Texas  cavalry  rush- 


160  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ing  wildly  through  the  streets,  bareheaded,  barebacked, 
and  half  dressed,  closely  pursued  by  two  thousand  mounted 
bluecoats,  with  rattling  sabres,  greatly  astonished  the 
citizens,  who  hurriedly  came  out  of  their  houses  to  ascertain 
the  cause  of  the  confusion.  After  changing  from  line  of 
battle  to  column  by  fours,  General  Blunt  sent  out  detach 
ments  of  cavalry  on  both  sides  of  the  main  road  to  scour 
the  country  and  pick  up  stragglers  who  had  fled  from 
Colonel  Crump's  camp. 

At  the  same  time,  General  Herron  also  sent  Major 
Charles  Banzhaf  with  a  battalion  of  the  First  Missouri 
Cavalry  to  strike  the  road  below  Van  Buren,  with  the  hope 
of  cutting  off  any  of  the  Confederate  cavalry  and  trains 
that  should  attempt  to  escape  down  the  north  bank  of  the 
river.  On  arriving  upon  the  heights  overlooking  the  town 
and  river,  the  Federal  Generals  saw  three  steamboats,  with 
steam  up,  leaving  the  wharf,  and  endeavoring  to  escape 
down  the  river.  When  the  Federal  cavalry  reached  the 
river,  the  leading  boat  had  got  upwards  of  half  a  mile  off, 
and  was  making  good  time  with  a  fair  prospect  of  getting 
away.  It  was  soon  ascertained,  however,  that,  about  two 
miles  below  the  city,  the  river  made  a  bend  to  the  north, 
and  that  the  channel  changed  to  the  north  side  at  that  point. 

General  Blunt  therefore  ordered  a  force  of  cavalry  and 
two  howitzers  to  hurry  forward  and  reach  the  bend,  if  pos 
sible,  before  the  boats,  and  open  fire  on  them  if  the  officers 
attempted  to  pass  or  refused  to  land  on  the  north  side. 
Major  Banzhaf,  with  his  Missouri  cavalry,  was  also  march 
ing  toward  the  bend,  and  Captain  Irving  W.  Fuller's  com 
pany,  being  in  advance,  reached  it  before  the  cavalry,  which 
had  marched  through  the  city,  and  seeing  the  steamer  Rose 
Douglas  steaming  down  the  river,  opened  fire  on  her  with 
their  carbines  and  brought  her  to  a  landing.  Under  the 
Captain's  instructions,  one  of  his  officers  boarded  her  with 
detachments  of  soldiers  and  took  her  back  up  the  river 
to  Van  Buren.  Her  cargo  consisted  of  four  thousand  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  161 

three  hundred  bushels  of  corn  and  six  hogsheads  of  sugar, 
and  a  large  quantity  of  molasses  which  had  just  arrived 
from  Little  Rock  for  General  Hindman's  army.  Major 
Banzhaf  s  cavalry  also  captured  and  brought  back  to  Van 
Buren  a  train  of  twenty-seven  wagons  loaded  with  am 
munition,  baggage,  and  camp  and  garrison  equipage. 

In  the  meantime,  General  Blunt's  cavalry,  with  the  as 
sistance  of  his  mountain  howitzers,  captured  the  other 
two  steamers,  the  Notre  and  Key  West,  and  brought  them 
back  to  the  wharf;  they  were  also  laden  with  corn  and 
other  supplies  for  the  Southern  forces  in  that  vicinity; 
another  steamer,  laid  up  at  the  wharf  for  repairs,  was  also 
captured.  The  horse-power  ferry,  while  attempting  to  cross 
to  the  other  side  of  the  river  with  a  number  of  soldiers 
and  citizens,  was  struck  by  a  shell  thrown  by  one  of  the 
howitzers  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry;  the  shell  exploded, 
killing  the  horse  at  the  tread-wheel,  and  wounding  several 
men;  in  another  moment  the  boat  got  into  shallow  water, 
and  the  uninjured  men  jumped  overboard,  waded  to  shore, 
and  escaped. 

Directly  after  the  captured  steamers  were  brought 
back  to  the  wharf  and  made  fast,  the  Federal  cavalry  com 
menced  bringing  in  prisoners,  wagons,  and  teams,  captured 
while  endeavoring  to  escape.  Generals  Blunt  and  Herron, 
with  a  number  of  their  officers,  went  aboard  the  boats 
to  examine  their  cargoes,  and  to  obtain,  if  practicable,  the 
strength  of  General  Hindman's  forces  in  the  vicinity.  In  a 
short  time  several  hundred  Federal  officers  and  soldiers, 
who  had  dismounted  and  left  their  horses  a  few  blocks 
back  to  feed  them,  came  down  to  the  river-front  to  look  at 
the  captured  boats.  While  they  were  thus  amusing  them 
selves,  and  talking  over  the  exciting  scenes  of  the  morning, 
the  sound  of  artillery  was  suddenly  heard  from  the  south 
bank  of  the  river,  and  in  another  moment  a  solid  shot  came 
with  a  crash,  striking  the  ground  only  a  few  yards  from 
a  group  of  soldiers,  and  ricochetting,  struck  a  building  a 
few  rods  away.  A  moment  later,  shot  and  shell  from  the 


162  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Confederate  battery  across  the  river  commenced  falling 
thick  and  fast  along  the  levee,  some  striking  the  boats 
and  some  the  buildings  in  the  city.  The  Federal  officers 
and  soldiers  at  once  retired  behind  some  blocks  of  brick 
buildings,  and  soon  afterward,  to  the  side  of  the  hill  in  full 
view  of  the  Confederate  battery.  About  two  o'clock  two 
batteries  of  General  Blunt's  long  range  rifle  guns  arrived 
on  the  heights  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  near  the  river, 
and  opened  fire  on  the  Confederate  battery  with  percus 
sion  shells.  The  artillery  duel,  which  now  commenced, 
lasted  until  sunset,  when  the  Confederate  batteries  and 
Shaver's  brigade  of  infantry  supporting  them  withdrew. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  echo  of  the  thundering  ar 
tillery  rolled  in  undulations  down  the  river  to  a  great  dis 
tance,  growing  gradually  fainter  until  it  died  away. 

Having  ascertained  that  General  Frost's  division  of  in 
fantry  was  encamped  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Arkansas, 
five  miles  below  Van  Buren,  General  Blunt  took  part  of  his 
artillery  down  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  to  a  point 
opposite  the  Confederate  camp,  and  immediately  opened  a 
heavy  fire  upon  it  with  shot  and  shell,  and  in  about  two 
hours  compelled  the  Confederate  General  to  break  up  his 
camp  and  retreat  south.  General  Hindman  was  now  getting 
alarmed  at  the  situation;  the  two  steamers,  Eva  and  Ar 
kansas,  at  Fort  Smith,  laden  with  supplies  for  his  army, 
he  ordered  burned,  after  taking  from  them  such  stores  as 
he  was  able  to  haul  away  with  his  limited  means  of  trans 
portation. 

Knowing  that  General  Blunt  had  three  captured  steam 
ers  with  which  he  could  cross  his  troops  and  artillery  over 
the  river,  and  knowing  also  that  his  own  troops  were  too 
much  demoralized  to  fight  a  battle  with  the  victorious 
Federal  forces,  the  Confederate  leader  decided  to  destroy 
all  the  public  property  which  could  not  be  removed,  to 
abandon  Fort  Smith,  and  put  his  army  on  the  retreat  south 
ward  in  the  direction  of  Arkadelphia,  southwest  of  Little 
Rock.  The  scarcity  of  transportation,  and  the  disorder  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CiwH  War.  163 

confusion  that  prevailed,  obliged  him  to  leave  some  six  hun 
dred  sick  soldiers  at  Fort  Smith  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
The  retreat  of  General  Hindman's  forces  during  the  night 
of  the  28th  saved  General  Blunt  the  trouble  of  crossing 
his  troops  over  the  river  the  next  morning  to  attack  them. 
General  Hindman's  conduct  in  ordering  his  batteries  to 
throw  shot  and  shell  all  the  afternoon  into  the  city  filled 
with  women  and  children  was  condemned  as  unwarrantable, 
for  he  could  not  hope  to  hurt  the  Federal  troops  as  much 
as  his  own  people  in  their  houses  and  on  their  premises. 

On  dashing  into  the  city  at  the  head  of  his  two  thou 
sand  cavalry,  General  Blunt  immediately  ordered  the  tele 
graph  office  seized,  and  found  in  it  some  interesting  dis 
patches  from  General  Hindman  to  his  officers  and  to  Gen 
eral  Holmes,  commanding  the  Trans-Mississippi  Depart 
ment.  Very  soon,  however,  after  the  arrival  of  the  Federal 
cavalry,  the  telegraph  wire  above  and  below  Van  Buren 
was  cut  and  the  line  stopped  working. 

When  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Southern  force  had 
commenced  to  retreat  from  their  different  positions  before 
midnight,  the  Federal  troops  returned  to  Van  Buren,  went 
into  camp,  and  regaled  themselves  with  a  bountiful  supply 
of  the  choicest  captured  commissary  stores.  The  soldiers 
were  also  mindful  of  the  care  of  their  worn  and  hungry 
horses,  and  fed  them  generously  from  the  large  quantity 
of  corn  captured  on  the  boats. 

While  the  Federal  arms  were  thus  successful  under 
Generals  Blunt  and  Herron,  the  column  sent  out  under 
Colonel  Phillips  crossed  the  Arkansas  River  above  Fort 
Gibson  on  the  27th,  and  after  a  short  skirmish  captured  and 
destroyed  Fort  Davis,  upon  which  the  Confederate  Govern 
ment  had  expended  upwards  of  one  million  dollars.  On 
reducing  the  extensive  barracks  and  commissary  buildings 
to  ashes,  the  Colonel  commenced  the  pursuit  of  General 
Cooper's  and  Colonel  Watie's  forces  in  the  direction  of 
Scullyville  and  Fort  Smith.  General  Hindman  received 
information  by  special  courier  of  the  advance  of  this  force 


164  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

under  Colonel  Phillips  down  through  the  Choctaw  Nation, 
a  few  minutes  after  he  heard  of  General  Blunt's  arrival  in 
Van  Buren,  and  being  thus  threatened  on  the  flank  and 
rear,  immediately  ordered  General  Cooper  to  retire  to  John 
son's  station  on  the  Canadian  River,  ninety  miles  southwest 
of  Fort  Smith  in  the  direction  of  the  Texas  frontier, 

Generals  Blunt  and  Herron  were  now  satisfied  that  the 
Federal  arms  should  take  Little  Rock  and  control  the  navi 
gation  of  the  Arkansas  River  from  that  point  to  Fort  Smith, 
before  attempting  to  maintain  a  large  Federal  force  in  West 
ern  Arkansas  south  of  the  Boston  Mountains.  They  de 
cided,  therefore,  to  return  with  their  troops  to  Rhea's  Mills 
and  Prairie  Grove  to  report  to  General  Curtis,  the  depart 
ment  commander,  that  the  Confederate  forces  had  been 
driven  from  all  that  part  of  the  Indian  country  north  of  the 
Canadian  River  and  from  Western  Arkansas  in  great  de 
moralization,  and  that  the  Army  of  the  Frontier  was  ready 
for  further  aggressive  operations.  After  the  Federal  troops 
and  public  animals  used  all  the  commissary  supplies  and 
forage  they  required,  General  Blunt  ordered  as  much  of  the 
supplies  as  he  could  find  transportation  to  haul  back  with 
him,  removed  from  the  boats.  When  it  was  decided  that 
the  army  would  not  cross  the  river  on  the  boats  to  attack 
the  Confederate  forces,  or  to  pursue  them  in  their  retreat, 
after  dark  on  the  evening  of  the  29th,  the  four  captured 
steamboats  and  ferry  boats  were  set  on  fire  and  consumed, 
together  with  some  fifteen  thousand  bushels  of  corn  and 
other  stores  which  had  been  brought  up  the  river  for  the 
use  of  the  Confederate  army.  The  tents  and  camp  equip 
age  captured  from  Colonel  Crump's  command  were  also 
destroyed.  In  addition  to  the  steamboats  and  supplies,  the 
Federal  forces  also  captured  upwards  of  one  hundred  Con 
federate  soldiers,  sixty  wagons  and  teams,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  head  of  fine  beef  cattle,  and  a  large  number  of  horses 
and  mules. 

The  casualties  on  the  Federal  side  were  one  killed  and 
five  wounded.  No  official  report  of  the  Confederate  casual- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  165 

ties  seems  to  have  been  made.  On  the  morning  of  the 
30th,  General  Blunt  left  Van  Buren  with  his  army,  and  ar 
rived  at  Rhea's  Mills  on  the  afternoon  of  December  31st. 
General  John  M.  Schofield,  who  had  relinquished  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier  early  in  November,  on  account 
of  illness,  returned  to  resume  command. 

When  he  arrived  at  Prairie  Grove  and  found  that  nearly 
all  the  troops  had  gone  on  the  expedition  to  Van  Buren,  he 
immediately  set  out  to  overtake  them,  but  met  them  on  the 
return  march  near  Dripping  Springs.  He  then  returned 
with  General  Herron  to  Prairie  Grove  and  resumed  com 
mand  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier. 

He  was  an  able  officer  and  it  was  said  by  some  who 
were  close  to  him,  that  he  deeply  regretted  that  he  had 
been  unable  to  share  in  the  brilliant  achievements  of  that 
army  after  he  left  it,  and  would  like  to  have  led  it  in  the 
closing  scenes  of  the  campaign. 


166  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

CHAPTER  X 
THE  UNION  INDIAN  BRIGADE 

The  expedition  of  Generals  Blunt  and  Herron  to  Van 
Buren  accomplished  all  that  it  was  proposed  it  should  ac 
complish;  it  had  captured  and  destroyed  the  steamboats 
which  were  being  used  to  transport  supplies  up  the  river 
from  Little  Rock  for  the  use  of  the  Confederate  army 
operating  in  that  region;  it  had  captured  and  destroyed 
large  quantities  of  supplies  which  had  not  yet  been  issued 
to  the  army ;  it  had  pushed  the  Confederate  forces  from  the 
south  side  as  well  as  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  River 
out  of  that  section,  and  with  the  loss  of  their  river  trans 
portation  and  supplies,  made  it  impossible  for  them  to  re 
organize  as  a  fighting  force  for  some  time  to  come.  It  had 
shown  what  a  well-equipped  army  inured  to  hard  service 
could  do  under  great  difficulties.  General  Hindman  had 
stated  to  his  army  that  the  Federal  forces  would  not  dare 
to  cross  the  mountains  to  attack  him  at  Van  Buren  or  in 
that  vicinity;  if  it  should  make  such  a  rash  attempt  he 
would  see  to  it  that  not  one  escaped,  and  yet  the  Federal 
forces  in  two  columns  crossed  the  mountains  and  swiftly 
fell  upon  his  forces  north  of  the  river  and  captured  their 
camp  and  train  and  sent  them  in  demoralized  flight  south 
ward. 

After  the  return  of  the  troops  from  the  expedition  to 
Van  Buren  to  Rhea's  Mills  and  Prairie  Grove,  General  Scho- 
field,  who  had  been  absent  on  account  of  illness  for  more 
than  a  month,  returned  and  as  stated,  resumed  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier  about  the  first  of  January,  and 
as  there  were  no  organized  forces  of  the  enemy  in  West 
ern  Arkansas  or  Indiana  Territory  north  of  the  Arkansas 
River,  new  operations  were  to  be  planned  and  new  disposi 
tions  of  the  forces  to  be  made. 

It  was  the  consensus  of  opinion  of  the  military  com 
manders  of  the  Department,  that  it  would  not  be  advisable 
for  the  Federal  forces  to  attempt  to  occupy  the  country 
south  of  the  Boston  Mountains  and  along  the  Arkansas 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  167 

River  until  Little  Rock  should  be  captured  by  the  Union 
forces  and  the  Arkansas  River  opened  to  navigation  to 
Fort  Smith  to  bring  up  supplies  by  boats  for  the  army. 

The  Federal  wounded  had  been  removed  from  Prairie 
Grove  to  Fayetteville  for  better  hospital  accommodations, 
and  on  resuming  command  General  Schofield  directed  that 
the  First  Division  retire  to  Elm  Springs,  twenty-two  miles 
north,  and  that  the  Second  and  Third  Divisions  move  to 
Fayetteville,  at  which  places  he  held  a  grand  review  of  the 
troops  on  the  6th  and  7th  of  January,  and  immediately 
thereafter  made  new  dispositions  to  meet  new  situations, 
for  it  was  not  expected  that  the  enemy  would  remain  in 
active  very  long,  but  would  reorganize  for  a  campaign  in 
some  other  direction  with  their  large  mounted  force. 

When  at  Van  Buren  General  Blunt  received  information 
that  practically  all  of  General  Hindman's  cavalry  under 
General  Marmaduke  was  at  Clarksville,  about  fifty  miles 
below  Van  Buren  and  might  attempt  a  movement  north  and 
pass  into  Missouri  and  attack  the  Federal  supply  line  be 
tween  Springfield  and  Rolla,  or  even  attack  Springfield, 
which  was  the  base,  of  operations  for  the  troops  of  the 
Department  of  Missouri  operating  in  Southwest  Missouri 
and  Northwest  Arkansas. 

Active  operations  having  closed  in  that  section  after 
the  expedition  to  Van  Buren  returned,  General  Blunt  left 
the  army  at  Elm  Springs  and  returned  to  Kansas  to  look 
after  the  affairs  of  his  Department,  which  would  require 
some  new  adjustment  before  opening  the  campaign  for 
the  new  year. 

Immediately  after  the  grand  review  General  Schofield 
reorganized  the  Army  of  the  Frontier.  He  placed  Colonel 
William  Weer  in  command  of  the  First  Division,  and  General 
Herron  in  command  of  the  Second  and  Third  Divisions,  and 
distributed  the  troops  in  Northwest  Arkansas  and  South 
west  Missouri  to  the  best  advantage  in  establishing  the 
tranquillity  of  the  country. 


168  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

He  considered  it  desirable  to  establish  a  post  at  Fay- 
etteville,  to  be  held  by  the  First  Arkansas  and  Tenth  Illi 
nois  Cavalry,  as  a  rallying  point  for  the  Union  people  of 
Western  Arkansas,  and  to  organize  an  infantry  regiment 
from  them,  a  step  that  had  already  been  taken  by  Colonel 
James  M.  Johnson  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  J.  Searle,  and 
only  needed  encouragement  from  the  Federal  authorities 
to  recruit  a  full  regiment. 

The  troops  of  General  Herron's  division  moved  in  a 
northeast  direction,  and  while  the  troops  of  the  First  Di 
vision  were  preparing  to  move,  General  Schofield  received 
dispatches  from  General  E.  B.  Brown  commanding  at  Spring 
field,  that  General  Marmaduke  was  marching  on  that  place 
with  two  or  three  thousand  men  with  artillery,  and  asking 
for  immediate  re-enforcements.  Colonel  Weer  was  there 
fore  directed  to  move  at  once  with  the  principal  part  of  his 
command  to  re-enforce  General  Brown  at  Springfield;  but 
he  arrived  too  late.  Marmaduke  had  arrived  and  made  the 
attack,  and  was  driven  off  with  some  loss  and  turned  east 
ward  and  destroyed  a  blockhouse  near  Marshfield,  and  was 
finally  defeated  at  Hartville  with  the  loss  of  several  of  his 
best  officers,  Colonel  Emmett  McDonald  among  them,  and 
retired  into  northeast  Arkansas  to  recuperate  and  prepare 
for  further  operations. 

In  making  the  final  disposition  of  his  troops  General 
Schofield  directed  Colonel  W.  A.  Phillips  to  take  command 
of  the  Indian  Brigade,  consisting  of  the  First,  Second  and 
Third  Indian  Regiments,  a  battalion  of  the  Sixth  Kansas 
Cavalry,  under  Captain  John  W.  Orahood,  senior  cap 
tain,  consisting  of  the  companies  of  Captains  Dobyns, 
Lucas  and  Rogers,  and  Captain  Hopkins'  four  gun  battery, 
and  move  to  near  Maysville  on  the  line  of  Arkansas  and  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  where  he  would  be  in  position  to  afford 
protection  to  the  loyal  Indians  of  the  Territory  during  the 
winter. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CiM  War.  169 

His  command  left  Elm  Springs  on  the  10th  of  January 
and  arrived  at  Camp  Walker,  near  Marys ville,  on  the  llth, 
having  marched  thirty-five  miles,  and  went  into  camp  for 
several  weeks.  In  a  few  days  severe  winter  weather  fell 
upon  that  section ;  snow  storms  and  hard  freezing  kept  the 
troops  busy  for  a  while  gathering  forage  for  their  animals 
and  food  and  fuel  for  themselves,  and  straw  for  beds  in 
their  tents.  They  were  able  to  keep  fairly  comfortable 
through  the  cold  weather;  there  was  plenty  of  wood  and 
water  near  at  hand,  and  the  Indians  were  on  the  border  of 
their  own  country  and  knew  that  only  severe  winter  weather 
prevented  their  families  from  returning  to  their  homes, 
nearly  all  of  whom  were  then  at  Neosho,  Missouri,  for  better 
housing  conditions. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  responsibility  placed  upon  the 
commander  of  such  a  force  that  required  executive  ability 
of  a  high  order.  The  safety  of  his  troops  must  be  kept 
constantly  in  view  and  vigilance  exercised  in  keeping  out 
scouting  detachments  to  warn  of  the  approach  of  a  hostile 
force,  and  the  wants  of  the  troops  were  to  be  looked  after 
and  forage,  food  and  equipment  provided;  his  supply  line 
between  that  point  and  Fort  Scott  must  be  kept  open  and 
his  supply  trains  suficiently  guarded  to  prevent  their  de 
struction  by  guerrilla  bands  in  the  western  counties  of  Mis 
souri,  who  were  frequently  able  to  concentrate  in  consider 
able  force — a  hundred  or  so  men. 

In  a  short  time  there  were  coming  to  his  camp  quite 
a  number  of  loyal  Indian  and  white  refugee  families,  con 
sisting  of  old  men,  women  and  children,  for  protection,  hav 
ing  been  robbed  of  nearly  everything  they  possessed  by 
bandits  infesting  their  neighborhoods,  and  these  people  had 
to  be  looked  after  to  prevent  them  from  starving  or  freez 
ing  and  falling  into  immoralities  that  might  affect  the 
troops. 

Their  sanitary  condition  was  an  important  problem  for 
the  Surgeons  of  the  Indian  command,  and  unsanitary  con 
ditions  were  certain  to  breed  disease  of  some  form  or  other, 


170  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War. 

which  would  affect  the  troops  as  well  as  the  refugees. 
Families  forced  to  leave  their  homes  with  scanty  clothing 
and  few  of  the  comforts  of  life,  to  seek  the  protection  of  the 
troops,  could  hardly  be  expected  to  keep  in  a  sanitary  con 
dition  while  living  in  improvised  shelters  on  the  borders 
of  the  camp  with  uncertain  supplies  of  food  and  fuel. 

If  there  was  not  a  member  of  nearly  every  refugee 
family  serving  as  a  soldier  in  that  part  of  the  army,  there 
was  likely  one  serving  with  jsome  other  division  of  it,  for  no 
man  of  military  age  and  fit  for  the  military  service  could 
safely  stay  at  home  no  matter  which  side  he  sympathized 
with.  The  chaplains  or  some  one  else  generally  looked  after 
the  most  distressing  cases. 

There  had  been,  since  the  army  moved  into  Northwest 
ern  Arkansas  after  the  Newtonia  campaign,  about  two  sup 
ply  trains  a  month  reaching  it  from  Fort  Scott,  and  as  a 
rule  most  of  the  refugee  white  families  coming  to  it  were 
sent  back  with  the  returning  trains,  and  there  gradually 
come  to  be  about  Fort  Scott  quite  a  large  number  of  refugee 
families,  some  of  whom  were  provisioned  by  the  Govern 
ment  until  they  could  find  employment.  Among  these  the 
spotted  or  typhus  fever  broke  out  one  winter,  1863,  taking 
off  some  of  those  who  could  not  have  proper  attention  by 
the  medical  authorities  and  who  had  been  exposed  to  unusual 
hardships  after  leaving  their  homes. 

Another  class  of  refugee  families,  refugee  Indian  fami 
lies,  who  had  come  to  Baxter  Springs  after  the  withdrawal 
of  the  white  troops  from  the  Indian  expedition,  deserves  at 
tention.  These  refugees  consisted  perhaps  of  the  larger 
parts  of  the  loyal  Indian  families  of  the  Cherokee,  Creek 
and  Seminole  Nations,  who  had  recently  been  moved  from 
Baxter  Springs  to  Neosho,  Newton  county,  Missouri,  on  ac 
count  of  the  better  housing  facilities  that  could  be  pro 
vided  for  them  at  the  latter  place,  and  that  they  might 
be  properly  protected  against  the  raids  of  Southern  partisan 
organizations  of  Livingston  and  other  Southern  partisan 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  171 

leaders,  a  battalion  of  the  Third  Indian  Regiment,  under 
Major  J.  A.  Foreman,  was  sent  to  Neosho  to  occupy  the 
place  during  the  balance  of  the  winter.  In  securing  forage 
and  supplies  for  the  Indian  soldiers  and  families,  scouting 
detachments  were  kept  out  constantly,  and  killed  some 
of  the  worst  bandit  leaders  in  that  section  who  had  been 
robbing  and  making  life  a  burden  to  Union  families  since 
early  in  the  war,  some  of  the  bandits  having  in  their  pos 
session  the  clothing  of  women  and  children  whom  they  had 
robbed. 

The  bandits  hunted  down  by  the  Indians  did  not  deserve 
the  name  of  partisan  rangers,  who  were  perhaps  a  shade 
more  respectable.  The  leaders  of  these  bands  did  not 
generally  have  a  following  of  more  than  three  or  four  men, 
and  when  the  Southern  forces  made  a  raid  through  that 
section,  mingled  freely  with  them,  but  when  they  were 
driven  out  by  the  Federal  forces,  did  not  leave  with  them. 
They  stayed  in  the  country,  hiding  in  the  broken,  hilly  and 
heavily  timbered  regions,  and  when  an  opportunity  was 
offered,  would  make  a  night  raid  on  some  unprotected  Union 
family  and  rob  it  and  sometimes  murder  a  male  member 
if  found  present. 

Major  Foreman's  Indian  command  was  the  first  Federal 
force  to  occupy  Neosho  as  a  military  post  since  the  war, 
and  it  gave  opportunity  to  many  Union  families  of  that  sec 
tion  who  had  refugeed  to  Fort  Scott  and  Springfield,  to 
return  and  rehabilitate  themselves  in  their  homes;  but 
the  frequent  raids  of  the  Southern  forces  and  the  lawless 
operations  of  Southern  partisans  and  bandits  prevented  a 
good  many  Unionists  from  returning  home  until  the  close 
of  the  war. 

The  Union  and  Southern  families  who  had  remained  at 
home  in  the  country  raised  good  crops,  and  as  the  Southern 
forces  were  driven  out  of  Southwest  Missouri  before  using 
very  much  of  the  new  crops,  the  Indian  command  found 
abundant  forage  and  other  supplies  for  its  use  and  the  use 


172  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

of  the  Indian  families  at  Neosho;  the  supplies  taken  from 
Unionists  were  paid  for  in  vouchers  given  by  the  Post  Quar 
termaster,  and  the  vouchers  could  be  readily  cashed  by 
business  men  who  would  take  them  in  trade. 

The  town  was  well  known  to  the  Cherokees,  for  many 
of  their  prominent  men  had  sent  their  daughters  to  school 
there  before  the  war,  and  they  had  other  business  relations 
with  the  people.  Seasons  when  their  crops  failed,  they 
sent  teams  into  Newton  county  and  took  their  wagons  back 
loaded  with  corn  and  flour  purchased  from  the  farmers 
whose  crops  never  failed  on  the  deep-soiled  farms  of  Shoal 
Cre«k.  The  place  was  also  probably  well  known  to  the 
people  inhabiting  that  section  from  pre-historic  times  on 
account  of  the  Big  Spring  in  the  western  part  of  it,  which 
pours  out  of  a  bluff  at  an  elevation  of  ten  to  twelve  feet 
in  a  descent  of  twenty  feet,  affording  a  fine  water  power 
for  manufacturng  purposes.  On  calm  evenings  the  water 
pouring  out  of  the  bluff  and  down  the  descent  may  be  heard 
for  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  more.  The  town  had  four  or 
five  other  excellent  springs  of  pure  water. 

While  Major  Foreman's  Indian  Battalion  and  the  Refu 
gee  Indian  families  were  at  Neosho,  there  was  almost  con 
stant  communication  between  them  and  the  main  force 
under  Colonel  Phillips,  operating  along  the  border  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  Northwest  Arkansas  and  McDonald  coun 
ty,  Missouri,  and  all  were  anxiously  looking  forward  to 
spring  when  the  exiles  would  return  to  their  homes. 

The  Indian  Brigade  had  been  at  Camp  Walker,  then 
called  Camp  Curtis,  in  honor  of  the  Department  Commander, 
only  a  short  time  when,  in  sending  out  a  foraging  expedition 
the  mounted  escort  to  it  came  into  collision  with  several 
bandits,  and  in  the  action  a  soldier  and  a  bandit  was  each 
killed,  and  one  or  two  men  wounded,  showing  that  although 
the  Southern  army  had  been  driven  out  of  Western  Ar 
kansas  to  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas  River,  there  were 
still  Southern  partisans  endeavoring  to  stay  in  the  rough, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  173 

hilly  timbered  region  of  that  section,  making  it  unsafe  for 
small  parties  of  soldiers  to  be  away  from  their  command 
without  the  risk  of  being  fired  upon  from  ambush. 

To  keep  advised  of  and  meet  such  movements  of  the 
Southern  forces  was  the  function  of  the  Federal  command 
ers  in  that  region,  and  as  early  as  January  12th,  a  day  or 
two  after  taking  up  his  position  near  May^ville,  Colonel 
Phillips  sent  out  a  scout  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men  under  Captain  H.  S.  Anderson,  of  the  Third  Indian 
Regiment,  in  the  direction  of  Spavina  Creek,  and  came  upon 
a  Southern  force  of  about  two  hundred  men  under  Major 
T.  R.  Livinston,  of  Jasper  county,  Missouri,  and  in  the  action 
that  took  place,  Captain  Anderson  reported  that  not  less 
than  twenty-five  or  thirty  of  the  enemy  were  killed  and 
wounded;  that  Captain  Fry  Smith,  of  Jasper  county,  Mis 
souri,  was  among  the  killed,  and  that  the  broken  enemy 
were  pursued  until  lost  in  the  thick  woods. 

Information  obtained  by  Captain  Anderson  indicated 
that  Livingston  had  collected  this  force  for  the  purpose  of 
working  his  way  back  into  Jasper  county,  his  old  field  of 
operations,  where  he  would  be  in  a  position  to  attack  the 
Indian  soldiers  under  Major  Foreman  at  Neosho,  or  menace 
the  Federal  supply  trains  coming  down  from  Fort  Scott. 

Major  Livingston  called  his  force  of  Missourians  "Par 
tisan  Rangers."  They  knew  every  foot  of  the  ground  in 
Newton  and  Jasper  counties ;  after  they  were  driven  south 
with  the  Southern  forces  it  was  impossible  to  prevent  them 
from  filtering  back  through  the  Federal  lines,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  after  the  action  with  Captain  Anderson,  Livingston 
was  back  in  Jasper  county,  giving  the  Federal  forces  in 
that  region  all  the  trouble  in  his  power,  and  as  no  Federal 
troops  or  Missouri  Militia  were  yet  stationed  in  Jasper  or 
Barton  county,  and  as  most  of  the  farm  houses  and  fences 
around  the  farms  in  those  counties  had  been  destroyed,  he 
could  march  over  them  almost  at  will  without  danger  of 
attack  except  under  conditions  which  would  give  him  an 
advantage  in  numbers  and  position. 


1 74  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Ciitil  War. 

There  were  families  of  his  followers  and  other  South 
ern  sympathizers  in  the  field  of  his  operations  in  Western 
Missouri,  and  even  at  Fort  Scott,  who  kept  him  advised  of 
the  movements  of  Federal  troops,  so  that  it  was  difficult 
to  bring  him  to  an  engagement  with  a  superior  force;  but 
when  in  that  section  he  was  usually  kept  so  well  advised  of 
the  movements  of  Federal  detachments  that  he  could  fall 
upon  and  cut  to  pieces  an  inferior  force  that  had  failed  to 
exercise  proper  vigilance.  On  the  night  of  the  3d  of  March 
he  dashed  into  Granby  with  one  hundred  men  where  Major 
Eno  of  the  Eighth  Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry  had  twen 
ty-five  men  stationed  in  a  blockhouse,  and  captured  three 
or  four  outside  of  it,  and  killed  two  of  them,  and  then  left 
without  attacking  the  men  inside  of  the  blockhouse,  who 
were  able  to  beat  him  off  and  drive  him  out  of  range  of  their 
rifle  fire. 

A  few  days  after  the  Granby  affair,  Livingston  had  a 
spirited  little  fight  with  Captain  Theo.  Conkey,  Third  Wis 
consin  Cavalry,  who  had  been  scouting  the  lower  Spring 
River  country  with  a  detachment  of  about  one  hundred  men 
of  his  regiment,  and  in  the  affair  the  honors  were  about 
even,  several  men  being  wounded  and  captured  on  each 
side. 

The  operations  of  Major  Livingston  in  Jasper  and 
Newton  counties  were  becoming  so  annoying  in  his  attacks 
on  foraging  parties  and  other  Federal  detachments  passing 
through  that  section,  that  the  commanding  officers  of  posts 
and  stations  were  determined  to  make  a  co-operative  drive 
that  would  force  him  to  leave  that  section,  temporarily  at 
least,  and  about  the  first  of  March  Major  David  Mefford 
with  parts  of  three  companies  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry, 
started  out  on  a  nine  days'  scout  from  near  Mt.  Vernon, 
and  scouted  the  country  thoroughly  from  Newtonia,  Gran 
by,  down  Shoal  Creek  to  Neosho,  thence  north  to  Diamond 
Grove,  down  Turkey  Creek  to  Sherwood  in  the  western 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  175 

part  of  Jasper  county,  and  found  a  trail,  but  darkness  com 
ing  on  he  did  not  deem  it  expedient  to  follow  it  into  the 
thick  brush  and  timber. 

He  bivouacked  near  Sherwood  and  took  up  the  trail  the 
next  morning  and  followed  it  only  a  short  distance  when  his 
advance  ran  into  an  enemy  picket  and  in  the  exchange  of 
shots  had  one  of  his  men  wounded,  and  also  wounded  one 
of  the  enemy.  Searching  the  woods  he  soon  found  Living 
ston's  camp,  which  had  just  been  abandoned  by  a  force  of 
about  eighty  men  who  had  retreated  into  the  thick  brush 
and  timber.  The  Major  then  moved  his  command  out  to 
the  edge  of  the  prairie,  and  noticing  an  outpost  of  several 
men  of  the  enemy  in  the  open  timber  a  few  hundred  yards 
ahead,  sent  his  advance  in  pursuit  and  after  a  chase  of  half 
a  mile,  came  upon  Livingston's  whole  force,  and  was  com 
pelled  to  fall  back  pursued,  the  enemy  coming  up  within  one 
hundred  yards  of  where  the  Major  had  dismounted  part  of 
his  command  and  formed  line  to  receive  them,  and  after 
sharp  firing  of  a  few  minutes  they  beat  a  hasty  retreat, 
having  two  or  three  men  wounded.  Having  been  joined  by 
forty  Indians  as  scouts  from  the  Third  Indian  Regiment  of 
Captain  Spillman's  command  at  Neosho,  Major  Mefford 
took  up  the  trail  of  the  bandits  again  and  pursued  them 
beyond  Crawford  Seminary,  Indian  Territory,  when  it  was 
abandoned  and  he  returned  to  the  headquarters  of  his  regi 
ment,  being  satisfied  that  the  main  part  of  Livingston's 
force  had  left  that  section. 

After  Mef ford's  scout  there  was  little  heard  of  Living 
ston's  activities  in  Jasper  and  Newton  counties  for  about 
two  months,  when  he  reported  himself  leaving  the  Creek 
Agency  south  of  the  Verdigris  River,  on  the  march  to  South 
west  Missouri,  where  he  arrived  about  the  middle  of  May. 
In  the  meantime  a  post  had  been  established  at  Baxter 
Springs  with  Colonel  James  M.  Williams,  First  Kansas  Col 
ored  Infantry,  in  command.  He  had  his  own  regiment, 
which  had  been  organized  the  latter  part  of  winter  and 


1 76  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

during  the  spring,  and  a  section  of  Blair's  Second  Kansas 
Battery,  and  this  force  was  there  for  the  protection  of  the 
supply  trains  from  Fort  Scott  to  Colonel  Phillips'  Indian 
troops  at  Fort  Gibson,  being  near  the  scene  of  Livingston's 
operations. 

On  the  18th  of  May  a  foraging  party  of  about  sixty 
men,  mostly  colored  soldiers  from  the  Colored  regiment, 
and  some  eight  to  ten  white  soldiers  from  the  section  of 
artillery  were  sent  with  five  wagons  and  teams  to  the 
vicinity  of  Sherwood,  Missouri,  about  eight  miles  distant, 
and  their  movements  having  been  observed  by  Livingston's 
scouts  and  reported  to  him,  he  hastily  collected  upwards  of 
one  hundred  of  his  men,  surprised  and  attacked  the  party, 
and  killed,  as  he  reported  23  colored  soldiers  and  7  white 
men,  and  captured  five  wagons  and  teams.  The  next  day 
Colonel  Williams  sent  out  a  force  of  about  two  hundred  men 
of  his  regiment  and  a  section  of  the  Battery,  to  the  scene 
of  the  disaster,  but  was  unable  to  draw  the  guerrillas  into 
action,  and  as  their  force  was  well  mounted,  and  his, 
infantry,  he  could  not  pursue  them  to  advantage,  and  they 
disappeared  in  the  thick  brush  and  timber  along  Center 
Creek. 

In  this  affair  of  the  foraging  party  the  Federal  force 
suffered  the  severest  loss  it  had  sustained  in  the  many  con 
tests  it  had  with  the  guerrilla  bands  of  that  section.  In 
extending  the  field  of  his  operations,  Livingston  soon  after 
wards  met  his  death  while  making  an  attack  on  a  detach 
ment  of  the  Missouri  Enrolled  Militia  under  Lieutenant  W. 
A.  McMinn  occupying  the  Court  House  at  Stockton  in  Cedar 
county.  Captain  Vaughan  of  Osceola  and  three  others  of 
the  guerrilla  force  were  also  killed  and  left  on  the  ground 
of  the  Court  House  square,  besides  fifteen  to  twenty  men 
badly  wounded  and  left  in  the  country  on  the  retreat. 

The  attack  was  a  surprise;  the  militia  were  fired  upon 
in  town  before  they  knew  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  and 
not  more  than  twenty-five  men  under  Lieutenants  McMinn 
and  Montgomery  were  able  to  get  into  the  Court  House 


The  Union  Indian   Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  177 

where  the  arms  of  the  men  not  on  duty  were  left,  but  which 
furnished  plenty  of  ammunition  for  the  men  inside,  who 
immediately  bolted  the  doors  down  stairs  and  commenced 
firing  from  every  window  up  and  down  stairs  upon  their 
assailants  who  were  coming  close  up  until  their  leaders  were 
shot  down,  which  ended  the  attack  and  precipitated  their 
immediate  retreat. 

While  the  Indian  Brigade  was  at  Camp  Curtis  near 
Maysville,  scouting  and  foraging  and  chasing  Southern 
sympathizers  and  bandits  who  had  such  fear  of  Federal  sol 
diers  that  they  did  not  stay  at  home,  it  was  found  that  some 
of  them  during  the  severe  cold  of  the  winter  had  been 
living  in  caves  in  parties  of  twos  and  threes,  and  in  other 
instances  in  rude  camps  far  in  the  depths  of  the  hills,  miles 
from  any  traveled  roads,  securing  their  food  and  scanty 
comforts  from  Southern  sympathizers  of  the  neighborhood. 

All  of  those  who  were  living  this  kind  of  a  life  were 
not  bad  men.  Perhaps  most  of  them  were  men  of  almost 
exemplary  conduct,  men  past  the  military  age  and  unfit  for 
the  military  service,  but  men  of  decided  southern  sym 
pathies  who  had  gone  off  with  the  Southern  army  when 
it  was  driven  out  of  that  section,  and  had  returned  clan 
destinely  to  be  as  near  their  families  as  practicable,  and  if 
they  found  that  they  would  not  be  disturbed  at  home,  to  go 
to  some  military  post  and  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
Government. 

In  war  time  it  seemed  almost  natural  for  any  one  to 
run  from  an  enemy,  if  he  did  not  wish  to  be  taken  and  there 
was  a  fair  prospect  of  getting  away,  and  it  seemed  equally 
as  natural  for  the  soldier  to  fire  upon  an  enemy  in  flight  if 
he  did  not  halt  on  command,  and  thus  it  happened  that  many 
innocent  men  were  doubtless  killed  or  wounded,  when,  if 
they  had  offered  to  surrender  on  being  surprised,  they 
would  have  been  taken  and  kindly  treated  by  their  captors. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Maysville  the  forage  had  been  mostly 
used  in  the  early  part  of  the  autumn  by  the  Southern  forces 


178  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

of  General  Cooper,  and  the  Federal  forces  of  General  Blunt ; 
but  there  was  some  left  for  the  Indian  command,  and  could 
be  had  by  sending  the  foraging  parties  a  little  farther 
from  camp  each  time  an  expedition  was  sent  out  to  gather 
up  and  bring  in  forage. 

Nearly  all  the  small  creeks  and  small  streams  north  of 
Maysville  emptied  into  Elk  River  in  McDonald  county,  and 
had  small  farms  along  them,  and  very  few  of  the  Southern 
families  owning  them  had  left  their  homes.  They  raised 
good  crops  that  year;  but  as  the  distance  increased  it 
become  more  and  more  difficult  and  inconvenient  to  find 
and  haul  the  forage  to  camp.  Colonel  Phillips  decided,  after 
a  couple  of  weeks  in  camp  near  Maysville,  to  move  the  com 
mand  to  Elk  Mills  on  Elk  River  where  he  proposed  to  operate 
the  mills  in  making  flour  and  meal  for  refugee  families  and 
his  troops,  from  the  wheat  and  corn  he  would  be  able  to 
secure  in  that  vicinity. 

Elk  River  Valley  above  and  below  the  mills,  and  the 
valley  of  Buffalo  Creek  that  emptied  into  the  river  near 
there,  had  many  good  farms  and  raised  good  crops  that 
season,  and  while  the  Southern  forces  of  General  Cooper 
had  used  a  good  deal  of  the  grain  in  the  vicinity  during  the 
Newtonia  campaign,  in  making  flour  and  meal  and  collect 
ing  subsistence  for  his  forces,  foraging  parties  found  con 
siderable  quantities  of  wheat,  corn  and  oats,  and  with  some 
repairing  the  mills  were  put  into  operation  again  making 
flour  and  meal  for  the  Indian  troops  and  refugees. 

The  mills,  however,  were  not  to  be  depended  upon  to  a 
very  large  extent  in  making  flour  and  meal  for  the  troops, 
for  just  before  moving  his  command  to  that  place,  Colonel 
Phillips  had  sent  his  first  supply  train  to  Fort  Scott  under 
an  escort  of  two  hundred  mounted  men,  and  a  few  negro 
refugees  who  had  drifted  into  camp  and  were  anxious  to  go 
north. 

Nearly  all  the  negro  men  fit  for  the  military  service  who 
had  belonged  to  the  Cherokees  and  Creeks  joined  the  Indian 
regiments;  but  those  who  had  belonged  to  white  men  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  \  79 

left  them  to  seek  their  freedom  and  had  come  to  the  Indian 
command  for  protection  had  not  yet  found  a  suitable  status 
for  employment.  A  few  might  be  employed  as  officers' 
servants,  but  that  would  not  take  care  of  all  who  were 
coming  in;  there  was  just  beginning  to  be  talk  about  or 
ganizing  colored  regiments,  but  the  people  of  the  country 
and  the  army  were  divided  on  that  question.  In  arguments 
around  camp  fires  of  evenings,  officers  and  men  declared 
they  would  not  fight  beside  negro  soldiers ;  wagon  masters 
would  not  hire  negro  men  as  teamsters  because  the  white 
teamsters  objected  to  associating  with  them,  and  the  only 
thing  to  do  was  to  send  those  who  had  found  asylum  with 
the  troops  to  Fort  Scott  where  they  would  probably  have 
opportunities  of  securing  employment  about  that  post  in 
some  capacity  or  enlisting. 

There  were  a  few  men  in  public  life  and  others  in 
humble  positions  in  private  life,  who  had  a  prophetic  vision 
early  in  the  war  that  the  Rebellion  would  bring  about  the 
end  of  slavery  and  in  the  discussions  around  the  camp  fires, 
every  angle  of  the  subject  was  touched  upon,  and  men  who 
were  very  conservative  about  interfering  with  slavery, 
and  who  would  have  been  willing  to  have  returned  to  their 
disloyal  masters,  slaves  who  had  escaped  from  them  and 
come  into  the  camps  of  the  Federal  soldiers  for  protection, 
were  gradually  changing  their  views  and  did  not  wish  to  be 
used  as  slave  hunters  for  the  men  they  were  fighting. 

It  was  difficult  for  men  with  prejudices  of  long  stand 
ing  to  give  them  up,  but  they  were  doing  it.  The  President's 
Proclamation  of  September  22d,  to  the  country,  that  he 
would  on  January  1st,  1863  issue  another  Proclamation 
giving  absolute  freedom  to  the  slavey  of  the  States  then 
in  rebellion,  and  having  issued  his  second  proclamation  giv 
ing  them  their  freedom  and  stating  that  freedmen  of  suit 
able  physical  conditions  would  be  received  into  the  armed 
military  service  of  the  United  States,  for  certain  specified 
purposes,  at  once  gave  the  negro  a  new  jstatus.  He  was  no 


180  The\Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

longer  a  chattel ;  he  was  a  human  being  and  must  be  recog 
nized  as  such  by  all  law  abiding  men. 

In  Kansas  there  was  a  general  sentiment  from  the 
commencement  of  the  war  against  returning  negroes  who 
had  escaped  from  their  owners  and  come  into  the  camps 
of  the  Federal  troops,  to  their  disloyal  masters.  There  were 
many  officers  and  men  of  prominence  who  were  ready  to 
recruit  and  organize  colored  men  suitable  for  the  military 
service  into  companies,  and  when  a  sufficient  number  were 
enlisted,  into  a  regiment,  and  recruiting  offices  were  opened 
at  Fort  Scott  and  other  places  in  the  State,  for  that  purpose. 
When  this  recruiting  was  set  in  operation  the  Indian 
Brigade  was  no  longer  troubled  with  idle  negro  refugees. 
They  were  sent  north  with  every  train  to  Fort  Scott  and  the 
men  given  an  opportunity  to  enlist  or  secure  empleyment, 
for  which  there  was  a  demand. 

Captain  James  M.  Williams  an  officer  of  the  Fifth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  had  already  commenced  recruiting  colored 
men  in  Kansas  for  the  First  Kansas  Colored  Infantry,  of 
which  he  became  Colonel,  and  performed  valiant  service 
with  the  Indian  Brigade  later  that  year,  and  showed  to  the 
country  that  those  who  were  opposed  to  making  soldiers  of 
colored  men,  and  fond  of  asserting  that  "niggers  wouldn't 
fight,"  were  mistaken,  when  colored  organizations  were 
properly  officered. 

It  was  the  purpose  of  the  Indian  Brigade  to  occupy 
Southwest  Missouri  and  the  Cherokee  country  as  far  north 
as  Elk  River  and  to  keep  the  troops  employed  scouting, 
foraging  and  providing  for  their  wants  until  spring,  when 
it  was  hoped  that  the  command  would  move  into  the  Chero 
kee  Nation,  probably  to  Tahlequah  and  Fort  Gibson,  and 
be  in  position  to  restore  the  families  of  the  Indian  soldiers 
to  their  homes  and  give  them  adequate  protection.  The  In 
dian  families  were  patient  in  their  exile,  but  had  an  intense 
longing  to  be  returned  to  their  homes. 

At  different  times  since  the  early  part  of  the  war,  Cow- 
skin  Prairie  near  Elk  Mills,  and  Camp  Walker  near  Mays- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  181 

ville,  had  been  favorite  places  for  concentration  of  the 
Southern  forces  in  that  section,  and  as  a  corps  of  observa 
tion,  it  was  the  intention  of  the  commander  of  the  Indian 
Brigade  to  prevent  such  concentrations  the  coming  spring. 
The  Federal  forces  had  not  prior  to  this  time  foraged  very 
much  from  the  farms  in  Elk  River  Valley  and  from  the 
farms  on  the  small  streams  emptying  into  it,  and  as  most 
of  the  families  in  that  region  were  represented  in  the 
Southern  army  or  in  the  Southern  Partisan  Rangers,  it  was 
felt  that  they  should  divide  their  forage  and  supplies  with 
the  Federal  forces,  as  the  Unionists  had  been  dividing  their 
supplies  with  the  Confederate  forces  without  remuneration. 

Having  exhausted  the  forage  and  supplies  in  the  vicin 
ity  of  Elk  Mills,  about  the  middle  of  February  the  Indian 
Brigade  moved  up  Elk  River  in  the  direction  of  Pineville, 
foraging  and  marking  time  and  keeping  in  touch  with  Major 
Foreman's  Battalion  at  Neosho,  and  with  detachments  sent 
into  the  Indian  country  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  com 
mander  informed  of  the  condition  of  affairs  in  that  region. 

There  was  some  fine  scenery  along  this  river  that  will 
always  be  attractive  to  those  who  love  the  rougher  aspects 
of  nature.  Nearly  every  mile  there  were,  on  one  side  of 
the  river  or  the  other,  precipitious  bluffs,  more  than  a  hun 
dred  feet  high,  and  in  some  instances  ledges  of  solid  lime 
stone  that  projected  far  enough  over  the  ground  beneath  to 
have  sheltered  an  army  of  men  marching  by  double  platoons 
for  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  or  more,  and  in  other  places 
projecting  over  a  considerable  part  of  the  stream,  which 
had  for  ages  been  cutting  out  and  washing  away  the  strata 
of  clay  and  rock  beneath  them. 

This  river,  also  locally  known  as  Cowskin,  was  noted 
from  the  first  settlement  of  the  country  by  the  whites,  for 
the  abundance  of  game  fish  found  in  it,  and  before  the  war 
fishing  parties  from  surrounding  counties,  with  boats, 
nets  and  hooks  and  lines  and  gigs,  visited  it  nearly  every 
spring  for  a  week  or  so,  fishing,  for  the  water  when  not  dis- 


182  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

colored  by  recent  freshets,  was  clear  as  a  crystal,  and  a  fish 
worth  taking  could  be  seen  by  a  man  in  the  boat  with  the 
gig,  near  the  bottom  of  the  deep  holes. 

While  the  troops  of  the  command  gave  very  little  at 
tention  to  fishing  at  that  season  of  the  year,  they  became 
more  interested  in  hunting  wild  game,  which  had  noticably 
increased  since  the  war.  With  every  foraging  party  sent 
out,  the  mounted  men  of  the  escort  to  the  wagons  were  con 
stantly  on  the  lookout  for  deer,  wild  turkeys  or  wild  hogs, 
and  they  were  frequently  rewarded  with  success  in  bringing 
in  with  their  other  supplies  some  of  this  wild  game,  to  the 
delight  of  other  members  of  their  mess. 

Many  of  the  Union  families  had  left  their  homes  in 
the  early  part  of  the  war  and  were  refugees  at  either  Fort 
Scott  or  Springfield,  and  on  leaving  they  were  unable  to 
take  with  them  their  domestic  animals,  as  hogs,  sheep 
and  cattle,  and  where  these  were  not  left  in  the  care  of 
neighbors  became  wild,  if  they  were  able  to  survive  the 
winters,  as  many  did. 

The  new  distribution  of  the  troops  of  the  Army  of  the 
Frontier  under  General  Schofield  to  subordinate  command 
ers  who  were  assigned  to  the  occupation  of  posts  and  sta 
tions  in  Northwest  Arkansas  and  Southwest  Missouri  did 
not  mean  that  the  activities  of  the  forces  under  them  would 
be  curtailed,  but  that  instead  of  fighting  the  enemy  in  one 
large  body,  they  would  be  employed  in  fighting  him  in  many 
detached  units. 

After  the  defeat  and  breaking  up  of  General  Hind- 
man's  Army  at  Prairie  Grove  and  Van  Buren,  there  were 
still  nearly  as  many  Southern  soldiers  to  fight  and  who 
were  as  aggressive  as  they  were  prior  to  those  events,  with 
this  difference,  that  instead  of  fighting  in  a  single  body 
and  in  one  place,  they  would  be  employed  in  fighting  in 
many  detachments  and  in  many  places,  with  the  com 
mander  of  each  detachment  assigned  to  a  particular  field  of 
operation. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  1 83 

On  the  Federal  side  the  operations  of  the  Indian  Brigade 
under  Colonel  Phillips  were  confined  to  Northwest  Arkan 
sas,  Newton  and  McDonald  counties,  Missouri,  and  the  In 
dian  Territory.  The  operations  of  the  troops  at  Fayettevilte 
under  Colonel  Harrison  embraced  the  territory  of  Western 
Arkansas  to  the  Arkansas  River.  Colonel  John  F.  Phillips 
Seventh  Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  was  temporarily 
stationed  at  Elkhorn  to  keep  the  telegraph  line  open  from 
that  place  to  Cassville.  Major  E.  B.  Eno,  Eighth  Missouri 
State  Militia  Cavalry,  with  three  companies  of  that  regi 
ment,  was  stationed  at  Newtonia,  and  Colonel  W.  R.  Jud- 
son,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  commanded  a  Sub-district  in 
Southwest  Missouri,  with  headquarters  at  Mt.  Vernon. 

On  the  Confederate  side,  General  W.  L.  Cabell  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  District  of  Northwestern 
Arkansas,  and  General  William  Steele  to  the  command  of 
the  troops  in  the  Indian  Territory,  with  headquarters  at 
Fort  Smith,  and  both  commanders  endeavored  to  organize 
their  forces  to  make  them  as  effective  as  practicable  in 
contesting  with  the  Federal  forces  the  territory  they  were 
occupying  since  the  close  of  the  Prairie  Grove  campaign. 
They  were  constantly  sending  out  from  their  positions  on 
the  Arkansas  River  detachments  of  mounted  troops  to  at 
tack  and  annoy  the  Federal  occupying  forces,  and  as  far  as 
possible  make  their  positions  untenable. 


184  The  Union  Indian  Rrigade  in  the  CM  War. 

CHAPTER  XI 
OPERATIONS  OF  THE  UNION  INDIAN  BRIGADE 

To  the  commanding  General  of  troops  in  the  field  the 
keeping  open  of  the  telegraph  line  between  Elkhorn  and 
Springfield  and  St.  Louis,  was  of  very  great  importance 
in  advising  him  of  threatened  danger  to  any  point  of  his 
supply  line  and  of  enabling  him  to  move  quickly  a  sufficient 
force  to  any  threatened  point  to  prevent  interruption  of 
communication. 

This  was  a  difficult  task  for  the  officers  and  troops 
employed  in  it  in  a  country  like  that  with  partly  hostile 
populations  anct  through  a  country  thickly  wooded  from 
Elkhorn  to  Springfield  and  from  that  place  to  Rolla,  a  dis 
tance  of  more  than  two  hundred  miles,  and  in  many  places 
from  five  to  ten  miles  between  houses  in  which  families 
lived.  It  was  an  easy  matter  for  one  or  two  men  living  near 
the  line,  or  at  a  considerable  distance  from  it,  to  approach 
it  and  cut  a  wire  and  escape  without  much  danger  of  detec 
tion  or  capture. 

Colonel  J.  F.  Phillips  not  only  kept  small  detachments  of 
his  mounted  force  constantly  patrolling  the  Telegraph  Road 
along  that  part  of  the  line  he  was  guarding,  but  he  sent  out 
larger  detachments,  sometimes  a  company,  a  day's  march 
or  more  from  his  position  at  Elkhorn,  to  thoroughly  scout 
the  country  and  secure  any  possible  information  in  regard 
to  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  in  small  detachments  or 
as  individuals. 

In  the  early  part  of  January  one  of  the  larger  detach 
ments  he  sent  out  under  Captain  T.  W.  Houts  of  about  sev 
enty-five  men  of  the  Seventh  Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry, 
in  the  direction  of  Berryville,  struck  a  force  of  Southern 
guerrillas  near  that  place  and  killed  ten  and  captured  all 
their  horses  except  those  that  were  killed.  The  guerrillas 
were  well  mounted  and  armed  and  in  Federal  uniforms,  a 
disguise  they  had  practiced  many  times  to  the  disadvantage 
and  severe  loss  of  the  Federal  soldiers  operating  in  that 
region. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  185 

When  guerrillas  were  found  thus  disguised,  they  never 
surrendered  even  when  they  saw  no  hope  of  escape,  for  they 
knew  they  were  violating  the  usages  of  honorable  warfare). 
and  if  caught,  would  be  tried  by  court  martial  and  shot. 
They  knew  that  Federal  soldiers  captured  within  the  Con 
federate  lines  wearing  the  Confederate  uniform  would  be 
and  had  been  court  martialed  and  executed.  They  knew  th<» 
risk  they  were  taking  to  accomplish  their  diabolical  ends. 

In  his  efforts  to  hold  the  country  north  of  the  Boston 
Mountains,  Colonel  M.  La  Rue  Harrison,  First  Arkansas 
Cavalry,  at  Fayetteville,  was  kept  busily  employed  after  the 
withdrawal  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier  from  that  section. 
He  was  obliged  to  use  part  of  his  force  in  keeping  his  com 
munication  open  between  that  place  and  Cassville  and 
Springfield,  and  to  send  out  scouting  detachments  of  a 
hundred  or  so  men  in  the  direction  of  the  Arkansas  River 
to  secure  information  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy  from 
that  quarter.  On  the  5th  of  February  he  sent  out  a  scout 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  James  Stuart,  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  consisting  of 
one  hundred  men  and  two  small  howitzers  of  that  regiment, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  of  the  First  Arkan 
sas  Cavalry,  through  the  mountains  over  the  Prog  Bayou 
Road  to  the  Arkansas  River,  to  ascertain  whether  the  enemy 
were  displaying  any  signs  of  re-organization  and  activity. 

Arriving  at  the  river  below  Frog  Bayou,  Colonel  Stuart 
ascertained  that  there  was  a  small  Confederate  force  en 
camped  two  or  three  miles  below  on  the  south  side,  and  he 
directed  that  one  hundred  men  be  ferried  over  and  sent 
down  on  that  side  to  capture  them,  while  he  moved  down  on 
the  north  side  with  the  balance  of  his  force  and  the 
howitzers  to  assist  in  the  attack.  The  enemy,  however, 
discovered  his  movement  in  time  for  part  of  them  to  get 
away.  In  the  fight  that  took  place  his  men  killed  several 
of  the  Confederates  and  captured  seven  prisoners.  After 
Jhis  men  had  recrossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  river  he 


)  86  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War. 

marched  up  that  side  twelve  miles  and  captured  thirty  bales 
of  cotton  that  had  been  turned  over  by  the  Confederate 
Provost  Marshal  to  a  private  citizen.  This  cotton  was  trans 
ported  by  Government  teams  he  had  with  him  to  Fayette- 
ville  and  turned  over  to  the  Post  Commander;  it  was  the 
first  cotton  that  had  been  seized  by  the  Government  in  that 
section  and  properly  disposed  of. 

While  marching  along  the  Ozark  road  about  eight  miles 
below  Van  Buren,  Colonel  Stuart's  command  was  attacked 
by  about  one  hundred  men  of  Colonel  Carroll's  Arkansas 
Confederate  regiment;  he  immediately  ordered  Captain 
Chapin  to  charge  the  enemy  with  fifty  men,  which  he  did 
in  gallant  style,  routing  and  dispersing  them  in  every  direc 
tion.  He  reported  capturing  twenty-one  prisoners  during 
the  scout  and  brought  them  in  and  turned  them  over  to 
the  provost  marshal. 

On  his  return  to  Fayetteville  the  prisoners  were  sent 
to  Springfield,  and  the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  hospitals 
there  from  the  Prairie  Grove  campaign  of  the  Second  and 
Third  Divisions  were  also  sent  to  Springfield,  and  those  of 
the  First  Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier  were  sent  to 
Fort  Scott,  as  Fayetteville  was  then  only  an  outpost  on  the 
southern  limit  of  the  Federal  occupation  of  that  section. 

General  Grant's  operations  against  Vicksburg,  which 
were  just  getting  under  way,  required  all  the  troops  that 
could  be  spared  from  the  Department  of  the  Missouri,  and 
had  delayed  operations  against  Little  Rock  longer  than  Gen 
eral  Curtis,  the  Department  Commander,  had  intended ;  but 
he  still  had  a  sufficiently  large  force  operating  in  northeast 
Arkansas  to  threaten  the  State  Capital,  which  led  General 
Holmes,  the  Confederate  Commander,  to  withdraw  all  the 
Confederate  troops  from  Western  Arkansas  that  could  be 
spared,  for  its  defense. 

It  was  his  design,  however,  to  leave  a  sufficient  force 
under  General  Cabell  commanding  the  District  of  Western 
Arkansas,  and  General  Steele  commanding  the  District  6f 
the  Indian  Territory,  to  hold  the  country  south  of  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  1 87 

Arkansas  River,  and  by  raiding  operations,  attack  the  sup 
ply  line  of  any  Federal  force  attempting  to  occupy  a  position 
near  that  river,  and  as  the  season  south  of  the  river  was 
several  weeks  more  advanced  than  north  of  the  Boston 
Mountains,  the  Confederates  would  have  their  cavalry 
horses  and  transportation  animals  in  condition  for  service 
several  weeks  earlier  than  the  Federal  forces,  except  where 
they  were  able  to  secure  forage  for  their  animals.  The 
Federal  cammanders  generally  depended  upon  forage  for 
their  animals  instead  of  grazing. 

The  latter  part  of  February  and  the  early  days  of 
March,  the  earlier  varieties  of  wild  flowers  were  making 
their  appearance,  and  the  budding  of  some  of  the  trees  of 
the  forest  were  noticeable  in  Northwestern  Arkansas,  and 
the  Federal  commanders  in  that  section  knew  that  the  Con 
federate  forces  in  their  front  would  soon  commence  show 
ing  activity. 

Early  in  March  Colonel  Phillips  moved  the  Indian 
Brigade  from  near  Pineville  to  Bentonville,  Arkansas,  where 
he  would  be  in  a  better  position  to  observe  the  movements 
of  the  enemy  in  his  front,  and  from  which  place  he  would 
advance  by  gradual  marches  into  the  Indian  Territory  and 
occupy  and  fortify  Fort  Gibson  and  hold  it,  and  have  his 
supply  trains  from  Fort  Scott  come  down  and  return  on  the 
west  side  of  Grand  River,  which  would  subject  them  to  less 
danger  from  attack  by  the  enemy. 

His  command  encamped  at  Bentonville  about  two  weeks, 
and  while  there  the  smallpox  broke  out  among  the  refugees 
and  also  among  some  of  his  Indian  soldiers  with  quite  a 
number  of  fatalities.  A  smallpox  hospital  was  established 
and  those  exposed  to  the  disease  were  quarantined  in  a  camp 
to  themselves ;  but  there  were  a  few  cases  in  the  command 
nearly  all  that  spring  and  summer,  in  spite  of  the  efforts 
of  the  surgeons  to  enforce  vaccination. 

As  it  was  generally  understood  that  the  command  was 
en  route  to  the  Cherokee  Nation  as  fast  as  conditions  would 


188  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

warrant,  the  number  of  Indian  families  in  the  refugee  camp 
increased,  as  they  were  anxious  to  enter  their  country 
with  the  troops,  and  plant  such  crops  as  they  were  in  the 
habit  of  raising. 

While  encamped  at  Bentonville  the  white  troops  of 
the  command  belonging  to  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  and 
Captain  Hopkins'  Battery  were  able  to  make  with  the  citi 
zens  of  the  town  some  satisfactory  exchanges  of  their  sur 
plus  rations  of  sugar,  coffee,  tea,  salt  and  flour,  for  butter, 
egg£>  chickens  and  other  good  things  to  eat.  Some  of  the 
officers  and  soldiers  boarded  in  the  homes  of  families,  estab 
lishing  warm  friendships.  There  were  also  parties  and 
dances  and  courtships,  resulting  in  some  marriages  of  young 
couples.  Some  of  the  fair  maidens  of  strong  Southern  sym 
pathies  were  thus  converted  to  the  Union  cause. 

The  safety  of  the  command  depended  upon  vigilance  at 
all  times,  and  a  scout  of  a  hundred  or  so  mounted  men  was 
sent  out  nearly  every  day  from  ten,  fifteen,  twenty  miles 
to  the  front  and  on  the  flanks,  and  it  rarely  returned  to 
camp  without  having  an  exciting  incident  of  chasing  or  hav 
ing  been  fired  into  by  several  Southern  sympathizers  who 
were  hiding  out  in  the  brush  and  hills  of  that  country.  A 
soldier  was  now  and  then  killed  or  wounded,  and  as  often  one 
of  the  enemy  was  despatched  by  the  white  or  Indian  sol 
diers. 

It  was  an  interesting  feature  of  these  Indian  scouts 
on  starting  out  on  the  march  in  the  morning,  to  see  the  In 
dian  soldiers  mostly  Creeks  and  Seminoles,  decorated  in  war 
paint  and  feathers,  and  to  hear  the  war  whoop  commencing 
at  the  head  of  the  column  and  running  back  to  the  rear, 
to  be  repeated  several  times.  But  there  is  one  thing  that 
should  be  mentioned  to  the  credit  of  these  Indian  soldiers, 
and  that  is  they  were  rarely,  if  ever,  charged  with  unlawful 
depredations,  plunder,  robbery,  on  the  march  or  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  their  camps.  The  white  people  were  afraid  of 
them,  but  they  did  not  molest  any  one  in  their  homes ;  their 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civ$l  War.  1 89 

whole  thought  was  to  return  to  their  own  homes  and  live 
in  peace.  They  had  suffered  many  hardships  and  priva 
tions  in  a  war  for  which  they  were  not  responsible,  and  in 
which  many  of  their  leaders  would  have  preferred  to  have 
taken  no  part;  they  had  in  the  last  year  seen  the  enemy 
driven  from  their  country  and  their  families  restored  to 
their  homes  for  only  a  brief  season  when  the  fortunes  of  war 
again  made  them  exiles,  and  now  that  the  Federal  author 
ities  had  expressed  a  determination  to  occupy  and  hold  their 
country,  the  prospect  of  permanent  restoration  to  their 
homes  was  vividly  before  their  minds. 

A  mass  meeting  was  called  of  the  Union  people  of  Wash 
ington  county,  Arkansas,  to  be  held  at  Fayetteville  on  the 
5th  of  March  for  the  consideration  and  discussion  of  ques 
tions  relating  to  their  general  welfare,  and  as  that  and  Ben- 
ton  county  were  a  part  of  Colonel  Phillips'  district,  he  was 
invited  to  be  present  and  address  the  meeting.  He  accepted 
the  ivitation  and  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  March  with 
an  escort  of  one  hundred  men  set  out  for  Fayetteville  and 
arrived  there  that  evening  and  was  enthusiastically  received 
by  the  soldiers  of  Colonel  Harrison's  command,  and  the 
next  day  addressed  a  large  assemblage  of  citizens  and 
soldiers.  He  briefly  reviewed  the  general  situation  of  af 
fairs  of  the  country;  he  mentioned  the  general  success  of 
the  Federal  arms,  particularly  in  Western  Arkansas  where 
the  enemy  had  been  beaten  at  Prairie  Grove  and  pushed 
to  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas  River,  which  had  an  im 
portant  bearing  on  operations  in  the  Indian  country.  He 
warmly  commended  the  efforts  of  the  Union  people  of  west 
ern  Arkansas  in  organizing  two  regiments,  then  nearly  full 
for  the  defense  of  their  homes  and  the  cause  of  the  Union, 
and  did  not  doubt  but  that  there  were  a  sufficient  number 
of  Union  men  in  Western  Arkansas  to  organize  several  other 
full  regiments.  He  also  dwelt  upon  the  necessity  of  close 
co-operation  between  the  troops  of  Colonel  Harrison's  com 
mand  at  Fayetteville  and  the  troops  of  the  Indian  Brigade, 
which  would  soon  be  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  believed 


190  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

with  the  information  he  possessed,  that  with  their  united 
efforts,  they  could  hold  Western  Arkansas  and  the  Indian 
country  north  of  the  Arkansas  River  until  the  fall  of  Little 
Rock,  which  would  assure  the  general  advance  of  the  Fed 
eral  forces. 

A  friendly  conference  between  the  two  principal  Federal 
commanders  in  that  section  to  talk  over  policies  and  co 
operation  for  future  operations,  was  certainly  a  desirable 
feature  of  the  Colonel's  visit  to  Fayetteville,  for  the  oc 
cupation  of  the  Indian  country  with  his  Indian  command 
would  be  very  difficult  in  the  absence  of  Federal  occupation 
of  Western  Arkansas. 

Western  Arkansas  was  rough,  hilly  and  mountainous, 
and  not  favorable  to  a  slave-owning  class  except  in  the  Ar 
kansas  River  Valley,  and  Southern  leaders  were  unable  to 
convince  men  who  did  not  own  slaves  that  it  would  be  to 
their  interest  to  espouse  the  Confederate  cause,  and  rather 
than  do  so  these  men  had  kept  out  of  the  Confederate  army, 
and  did  everything  possible  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  Con 
federate  Conscription  officers.  So  determined  were  these 
Union  men  not  to  serve  in  the  Confederate  army  that  early 
in  March  Colonel  Harrison  reported  nearly  one  hundred  in  a 
body  coming  into  Fayetteville  from  the  Washita  Mountains 
south  of  the  Arkansas  River. 

The  Union  men  who  could  not  stay  at  home  and  who 
had  been  living  in  the  mountains  and  out  of  the  way  places 
since  early  in  the  war  when  they  came  into  the  Federal 
lines  were  ragged  and  their  clothing  showed  patch  upon 
patch.  With  long  hair  and  unkept  beards,  they  had  the  ap 
pearance  of  wild  men  or  cave  men,  and  could  hardly  recog 
nize  themselves  in  their  improved  appearance  when  they  had 
discarded  their  old  clothing,  had  their  hair  cut  and  beards 
trimmed  up  and  put  on  the  new  blue  uniform  of  the  Union 
army. 

At  the  time  of  the  visit  of  Colonel  Phillips  to  Fayette 
ville,  Colonel  Harrison  had  just  commenced  and  in  a  few 
weeks  completed  the  construction  of  fortifications  at  that 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  191 

place  that  would  enable  him  to  hold  it  against  a  largely 
superior  force  of  the  enemy  not  supplied  with  artillery. 
His  position  was  isolated  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  get 
re-enforcements  from  Southwest  Missouri  if  he  should  be 
threatened  by  attack  by  a  large  force  organized  on  the  Ar 
kansas  River,  and  which,  by  making  a  night  and  day's 
forced  march,  could  approach  very  near  him  without  the 
movement  being  discovered.  His  command  was  frequently 
depleted  by  sending  out  scouting  detachments  in  different 
directions  and  in  escorting  trains  between  that  place  and 
Cassville,  Missouri,  and  with  well-constructed  fortifications 
that  would  command  the  town  and  the  approaches  to  his 
camp  might,  with  the  First  Arkansas  Infantry,  then  being 
organized,  hold  out  against  a  superior  force  even  in  the 
absence  of  part  of  his  regiment. 

While  encamped  at  Bentonville  the  Indian  Brigade  was 
on  the  ground  of  the  opening  of  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge 
or  Elkhorn  Tavern,  and  in  the  first  annual  celebration  of 
the  event  it  was  discussed  from  every  angle  by  the  white 
soldiers,  and  much  interest  manifested  in  looking  up  the 
movements  of  the  troops  of  the  opposing  armies  during  the 
three  days'  struggle. 

This  was  the  first  battle  between  the  Union  and  South 
ern  forces  in  which  the  Indians  participated.  They  were 
the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws,  and  Creeks  and  Cherokees, 
who  had,  under  the  pressure  of  the  Confederate  authorities, 
espoused  the  Confederate  cause,  and  were  led  into  the  battle 
by  General  Albert  Pike.  The  Indians  who  had  adhered  to 
the  cause  of  the  Union  were  not  represented  in  the  battle; 
they  had  not  yet  commenced  organization  under  guidance 
of  Federal  authorities  for  the  defense  of  their  country,  and 
a  few  of  those  then  in  the  Indian  Brigade  were  at  the  time 
of  the  battle  in  the  Confederate  service. 

There  were  people  of  the  town  who  were  able  to  tell 
very  vividly  of  the  narrow  escape  of  General  Sigel's  Division 
from  capture  as  it  passed  through,  and  of  the  statement  of 


192  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

General  Van  Dorn  that  if  he  had  been  ten  minutes  earlier 
he  could  have  captured  the  entire  Federal  Division  of  five 
or  six  thousand  men.  The  same  people  were  able  to  tell  in 
equally  vivid  language  of  the  dreadfully  demoralized  con 
dition  of  General  Pike's  Division  of  Indians  and  Texans  as 
they  passed  back  through  Bentonville  in  their  precipitate 
flight  from  the  battle  field,  halting  hardly  long  enough  to 
tell  what  had  happened,  only  that  the  Southern  army  had 
been  practically  destroyed,  Generals  McCulloch  and  Mcln- 
tosh  and  Hebert  killed,  and  Generals  Van  Dorn  and  Price 
captured  and  General  Pike  missing.  Corrected  reports  of 
the  battle  were  soon  made  public  and  the  exaggerations 
eliminated. 

The  mounts  and  transportation  animals  of  the  Indian 
Brigade  were  brought  through  the  winter  in  fairly  good 
shape;  but  daily,  forage  was  getting  more  scarce,  and  the 
area  foraged  from  gradually  widening,  until  it  was  found 
necessary  while  at  Bentonville  to  send  a  foraging  expedition 
of  about  one  hundred  wagons  and  teams  to  the  White  River 
country,  twenty-five  to  thirty  miles  east,  which,  however, 
was  successful  and  brought  back  the  wagons  loaded  with 
corn  and  oats,  a  quantity  sufficient  to  last  several  weeks  if 
properly  conserved  and  used  along  with  the  forage  picked 
up  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  command. 

In  some  instances  the  horses  of  the  Indian  soldiers 
fastened  to  young  trees  while  in  camp  gnawed  the  bark 
from  them  as  high  as  they  could  reach,  thus  showing  how 
keen  was  the  pinch  of  hunger  on  account  of  insufficient 
forage.  A  larger  mounted  force  could  not  have  sustained 
itself  in  that  region  during  the  latter  part  of  the  winter 
without  a  heavy  loss  of  transport  animals  and  mounts  for 
the  troops. 

The  spring  was  favorable  for  preparing  the  tillable  land 
for  the  crops  usually  raised  on  it,  and  the  troops  passing 
through  the  country  everywhere  saw  the  people,  old  men, 
women  and  children,  ploughing  and  working  and  sowing 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  193 

their  oats  and  planting  their  corn  and  cultivating  their 
gardens  with  here  and  there  a  patch  of  an  acre  or  so  of 
tobacco,  for  up  to  the  war  Benton  county  practically  raised 
more  tobacco  than  any  other  county  in  Western  Arkansas. 
A  few  of  the  two-story  empty  tobacco  barns  were  still  to  be 
seen,  having  escaped  the  ravages  of  war. 

There  were  very  few  men  under  sixty,  except  cripples, 
who  considered  it  safe  to  try  to  stay  at  home,  and  even  men 
above  that  age,  if  they  took  an  active  interest  in  either 
side,  were  not  safe.  The  political  status  of  every  man  was 
known  to  his  neighbors,  and  while  the  occupation  of  that 
section  by  the  Confederate  and  Federal  forces  had  changed 
so  many  times  as  to  make  neighbors  of  different  political 
sympathies  and  affiliations  cautious  or  even  reluctant  to 
inform  on  each  other;  yet  every  man  displaying  political 
activities  towards  either  side  was  known,  and  his  safety  at 
home  could  not  be  assured  except  when  his  friends  were 
occupying  the  country.  Even  then  he  might  become  a 
victim  of  bandits  passing  through  his  neighborhood. 

Those  attempting  to  raise  crops  were  handicapped  for 
want  of  suitable  work  animals.  No  family  could  keep  a 
good  serviceable  horse  or  mule,  or  even  a  pair  of  oxen  for 
farming,  even  when  the  troops  of  the  side  with  which  the 
family  were  identified  were  occupying  the  country,  for  at 
that  stage  of  the  war  every  mounted  force  of  either  side 
had  worn  out  horses  that  required  replacing  without  waiting 
for  the  slow  process  of  getting  them  on  requisition  from  the 
nearest  cavalry  depot.  The  owner  was  generally  told  by 
the  approaching  officer  that  if  he  did  not  take  the  service 
able  animal,  the  other  side  would ;  he  gave  a  receipt  for  the 
animal  and  the  owner  could  take  it  to  the  quartermaster 
and  get  a  voucher  for  it. 

In  nearly  all  such  cases,  the  party  making  the  seizure 
left  a  broken  down  animal  in  place  of  the  one  taken,  and 
in  a  few  weeks  or  month  or  so  the  sorry  looking,  broken 
down  animal  with  mane  and  tail  chewed  off  by  its  hungry 
fellows  in  camp,  with  rest  and  feed  commenced  to  mend  up, 


194  The  Union  Indian  JBrigade  in  the  CivM  War. 

and  was  quite  useful  to  the  family  in  putting  in  and  tending 
the  crop.  The  army  authorities  in  that  section  did  not  give 
any  attention  to  salvaging  its  broken  down  mounts  and 
transportation  animals,  as  had  been  done  in  the  Eastern 
Union  armies. 

This  broken  down  stock  left  by  the  army  was  not  the 
only  dependence  families  had  for  work  stock  to  cultivate 
their  crops;  nearly  every  family  had  an  old  horse  or  mule, 
or  a  blind  horse  or  mule  or  with  one  eye  out,  that  had  es 
caped  and  would  continue  to  escape  representatives  of  the 
army  looking  for  serviceable  animals,  that  would  answer 
the  requirements  of  farm  use.  People  do  not  generally 
realize  what  slender  means  they  can  get  along  with  in  an 
emergency,  until  put  to  the  test,  as  the  people  were  in  the 
war-torn  sections. 

At  a  session  of  the  Cherokee  Council  under  the  protec 
tion  of  the  Indian  command,  prominent  men  of  the  Nation 
were  present,  and  had  under  discussion  measures  of 
importance  to  the  welfare  of  the  Cherokee  people,  and 
which,  when  properly  considered  and  formulated,  would  be 
presented  to  Congress  by  the  Cherokee  Delegation  on  its  ar 
rival  in  Washington.  One  of  the  important  measures  to 
be  presented  to  the  Congress  was  one  providing  for  the 
abolition  of  slavery  in  the  Cherokee  Nation  at  an  early 
date. 

While  slavery  had  existed  for  some  generations  among 
the  Cherokee  people,  it  had  never  existed  in  that  form 
which  had  characterized  the  institution  in  the  Southern 
States.  It  was  the  consensus  of  opinion  among  the  white 
troops  who  had  been  with  the  Indians  nearly  a  year,  that 
slavery  of  the  negroes  among  them  had  been  only  in  name; 
that  there  were  no  outward  signs  of  servitude  in  the  ne 
groes  towards  the  Indian  master,  as  was  always  noticeable 
in  negroes  who  had  belonged  to  white  masters. 

No  one  pretended  that  slavery  among  the  Indians 
entailed  hardships  upon  the  negroes  compared  to  the  hard 
ships  entailed  upon  them  by  slavery  among  the  whites  of 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  195 

the  Southern  States,  and  it  would  have  been  very  difficult 
to  impress  a  negro  with  the  idea  that  there  was  as  great 
a  distance  socially  between  him  and  an  Indian  as  there  was 
between  him  and  a  white  man.  In  fact  there  seemed  to 
be  very  little  recognition  of  difference  of  social  status  be 
tween  them,  particularly  between  the  half-breed  and  full- 
blood  slave  owners,  of  whom  there  were  only  a  few. 

The  possibilities  of  the  negro  as  an  intellectual  force 
seemed  to  be  about  equal  to  that  of  the  Indian,  and  there 
was  no  prejudice  against  miscegenation  of  the  two  races. 
The  Cherokees  and  Creeks  did  not  seem  to  be  losing  in 
population  on  account  of  adopting  civilized  methods  of  liv 
ing;  but  they  were  losing  the  characteristics  of  the  Indian 
by  their  inter-marriages  with  the  whites,  which  in  a  few 
generations  will  leave  scarcely  a  full  blood  Indian  among 
them. 

Since  this  country  was  first  settled  by  Europeans, 
traders  and  other  adventurers  of  the  whites  have  lived 
among  the  Indians,  and  it  is  generally  known  that  by  form 
ing  temporary  unions,  and  sometimes  lasting  ones,  with  the 
native  women,  they  gained  certain  rights  and  privileges 
that  are  not  accorded  to  those  who  do  not  enter  into  such 
alliances.  These  alliances  gave  the  white  or  squaw  man  and 
his  descendants  a  great  advantage  in  business  and  land 
interests. 

In  the  organization  of  the  three  Indian  regiments  there 
was  one  white  officer  in  every  company,  and  the  orderly 
sergeants  of  the  different  companies  were  white  soldiers 
who  had  good  records  for  efficiency  in  the  companies  of 
white  regiments  from  which  they  had  been  transferred, 
and  who  were  able  to  make  out  the  Morning  Reports  and 
other  reports  of  the  companies  to  which  they  belonged. 
The  Colonels  were  white  men;  of  the  other  field  officers 
and  Captains,  some  were  white  and  some  were  Indians. 

Every  scout  sent  out  and  every  escort  to  the  trains 
was  under  a  white  officer  or  non-commissioned  officer,  and 
in  giving  orders  for  any  required  movement,  there  was  al- 


1 96  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ways  an  Indian  present  who  understood  and  could  speak 
English  and  quickly  interpret  the  orders  to  his  comrades, 
and  while  the  discipline  was  good,  there  was  nothing  harsh 
or  unreasonable  about  it,  and  of  the  scouts  and  escorts 
to  trains  sent  out,  a  part  of  each  was  usually  made  up  of  a 
detachment  from  the  Battalion  of  four  companies  of  the 
Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  under  an  officer  or  non-commissioned 
officer. 

On  March  17th,  the  Indian  Brigade  left  Bentonville  and 
marched  fifteen  miles  southwest  to  the  Big  Spring  at  the 
head  of  Flint  Creek  where  it  would  be  in  position  to 
thoroughly  examine  the  country  in  front  as  far  south  33 
the  Arkansas  River  before  moving  into  the  Indian  Territory, 
only  five  or  six  miles  west. 

This  spring  of  pure  water  was  one  of  the  finest  in 
Northwest  Arkansas,  and  would  have  furnished  the  water 
supply  for  quite  a  city.  It  bubbled  up  out  of  the  ground 
almost  like  a  fountain  and  flowed  away  in  a  strong,  swift 
current,  and  like  many  other  springs  of  that  section  did 
not  dry  up  during  the  summer.  A  pure  water  supply  for 
an  army  is  an  important  factor  in  maintaining  its  health. 

A  reconnoissance  of  a  mounted  force  of  about  one 
hundred  men  under  Lieutenant  Fred  Crafts,  First  Indian 
Regiment,  was  sent  out  before  the  command  left  Benton 
ville,  in  the  direction  of  Van  Buren  to  ascertain  the  strength 
and  movements  of  the  enemy  in  the  vicinity  of  that  place. 
As  he  met  no  opposition  he  marched  into  town,  and  sent  a 
spy  to  Fort  Smith,  where,  on  returning,  he  reported  he 
found  only  about  three  hundred  Confederates  of  Colonel 
Carroll's  Arkansas  regiment.  No  information  was  secured 
showing  activity  of  General  Steele's  forces  south  of  the 
Arkansas  River  in  the  Indian  Territory.  It  was  the  move 
ment  of  his  force  that  the  commander  of  the  Indian  Bri 
gade  was  interested  in  watching. 

During  his  reconnoissance  the  information  obtained  by 
Lieutenant  Crafts  pointed  to  the  fact  that  General  Cabell 
had  not  been  able  to  organize  and  concentrate  a  force  of 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  197 

sufficient  strength  to  make  an  aggressive  movement  north 
of  the  mountains.  It  was  not  likely,  however,  that  he  would 
remain  very  long  inactive,  but  would  keep  on  his  front 
reconnoitering  parties  of  his  best  mounted  troops,  to  watch 
the  movements  of  the  Federal  forces. 

A  short  time  after  Lieutenant  Crafts'  reconnoissance 
to  Van  Buren,  a  deserter  came  into  the  camp  of  the  Indian 
Brigade  and  on  being  carefully  questioned  stated  that  he 
had  deserted  from  Colonel  Carr oil's  regiment,  which  was 
near  Clarksville  on  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  River 
when  he  left  it;  that  it  was  employed  in  scouting  to  the 
north,  and  that  there  were  no  other  Confederate  troops  in 
that  section. 

Some  time  after  Lieutenant  Crafts'  reconnoissance  to 
Van  Buren,  Captain  John  Rogers,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry, 
with  two  hundred  men  of  his  battalion,  made  a  scout  into 
the  Boston  Mountains  south  of  Cane  Hill  on  the  State  line, 
and  on  return  reported  finding  no  sign  of  an  enemy,  but 
stated  that  he  saw  a  number  of  Confederate  wounded  left 
there  by  General  Hindman  after  the  battle  of  Prairie  Grove. 
Fairly  good  hospital  accommodations  were  provided  for 
them,  but  the  mortality  among  them  was  reported  to  be 
very  high,  due  it  was  claimed  to  insufficient  medical  sup 
plies  furnished  by  the  Confederate  authorities. 

While  encamped  at  the  Big  Spring,  Colonel  Phillips  sent 
back  his  supply  train  to  Fort  Scott  under  an  escort  of  about 
two  hundred  men  to  accompany  it  on  the  State  Line  Road 
as  far  as  Baxter  Springs,  where  the  escort  would  wait  for 
the  train  to  return  loaded.  At  that  place  Colonel  Williams 
was  stationed  with  his  regiment,  the  First  Kansas  Colored 
Infantry,  and  if  he  deemed  it  advisable,  could  put  a  suf 
ficient  number  of  his  infantrymen  in  the  wagons  as  a  guard 
for  the  protection  of  the  train  going  to  and  returning  from 
Fort  Scott. 

This  was  the  last  train  sent  north  on  the  east  side  of 
Grand  River,  and  the  day  after  its  departure  a  force  of 
seventy-five  men  under  Lieutenant  Anderson  was  ordered 


1 98  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

out  to  overtake  it  and  re-enforce  the  escort,  for  there  was 
some  uneasiness  for  its  safety  on  account  of  a  Confederate 
force  of  about  one  hundred  men  reported  to  have  been  seen 
in  the  vicinity  of  Cane  Hill  moving  north.  Their  recon- 
noisance  was  to  ascertain  the  strength  of  the  Indian  Bri 
gade,  its  movements  and  intentions  of  its  commander. 

A  reconnoisance  did  not  always  develop  the  true  situa 
tion  in  front ;  it  might  and  did  sometimes  approach  within 
a  few  miles  of  a  considerable  force  of  the  enemy,  and  re 
turn  without  being  conscious  of  having  been  in  his  im 
mediate  presence,  to  be  followed  by  him  almost  back  to 
camp.  An  army  commander  had  all  these  difficulties  to 
contend  with ;  he  might  be  surprised  after  using  the  great 
est  diligence  in  reconnoitering  his  front  and  flanks ;  even  a 
friendly  population  on  the  line  of  march  of  the  enemy, 
might  not  be  able  to  advise  him  of  their  rapid  advance  to 
surprise  and  attack  him. 

A  number  of  officers  holding  commissions  from  the 
Secretary  of  War  in  the  Fourth  and  Fifth  Indian  Regiments, 
reported  to  Colonel  Phillips  for  duty,  when  as  a  matter  of 
fact  not  a  single  recruit  had  been  enlisted  for  either  of 
those  regiments.  The  proceeding  seemed  unusual  and 
caused  some  criticism  of  the  action  of  the  Department. 
Recruiting  commissions  were  sometimes  issued  to  men  to 
raise  companies  with  the  view  of  organizing  a  regiment; 
but  no  one  before  had  heard  of  commissions  being  issued 
to  men  of  regiments  that  did  not  exist.  The  three  Indian 
regiments  were  kept  well  filled  up ;  but  it  would  have  been 
very  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  have  recruited  and  or 
ganized  another  full  regiment  from  the  Creeks,  Cherokees 
and  Seminoles,  for  perhaps  fully  one-half  of  the  able-bodied 
men  of  these  three  tribes  had  been  taken  into  the  Con 
federate  service  and  most  of  those  who  desired  to  renew 
their  allegiance  to  the  Union  States  had  already  returned 
and  enlisted  in  one  of  the  loyal  Indian  regiments. 

Even  if  there  had  been  a  probability  of  recruiting  and 
organizing  the  two  regiments  of  Indians,  it  was  felt  that 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  199 

the  Government  was  not  acting  fair  towards  the  white  of 
ficers  and  non-commissioned  officers  of  the  three  Indian 
regiments  who  had  been  serving  about  a  year,  to  have  raw, 
inexperienced,  and  untried  men.  commissioned  and  sent  out 
to  command  them.  Such  a  scheme  it  was  felt  would  not 
be  for  the  good  of  the  service. 

In  the  white  regiments  the  company  officers  were 
elected  by  their  men ;  but  in  the  Indian  regiments,  as  already 
stated,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  have  at  least  one  com 
pany  officer  and  the  orderly  sergeant  white  men,  who  were 
generally  transferred  and  promoted  from  white  regiments 
on  account  of  their  efficiency  and  fitness,  and  when  promo 
tions  were  made  in  their  regiments,  their  claims  were  the 
first  to  be  recognized  by  their  commanding  officers  who  had 
a  sense  of  justice  and  appreciation  of  merit. 

Suffering  persecution  for  the  sake  of  principle  was  a 
feature  of  the  Civil  War  that  might  be  much  dilated  upon. 
There  were  not  many  instances  of  greater  suffering,  per 
secution  and  hardships  than  was  told  in  the  stories  of  eleven 
men  who  came  to  the  Indian  command  while  it  was  en 
camped  at  the  Big  Spring.  Their  leader,  Joseph  R.  Pratt, 
who  lived  near  Neosho  up  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war, 
and  on  the  opening  of  hostilities  moved  to  northern  Texas, 
hoping  to  escape  the  turmoil  and  conflict  that  he  felt  cer 
tain  was  rapidly  coming  to  Southwest  Missouri.  After 
moving  to  Texas  he  found  it  impossible  to  hold  a  neutral 
attitude.  His  neighbors  insisted  that  he  must  be  for  one 
side  or  the  other,  and  to  be  for  the  Union  was  treason  to 
the  State.  He  was  born  and  brought  up  in  Wisconsin,  but 
married  into  a  family  that  owned  slaves,  and  thought  that 
fact  would  sufficiently  identify  him  with  the  South  to  save 
him  from  persecution  in  Texas.  In  this  he  was  mistaken. 
He  found  that  in  Northern  Texas  there  were  many  small 
farmers  who  raised  mostly  cattle,  horses  and  sheep  and 
did  not  own  any  slaves  and  had  no  interest  in  slavery  and 
were  still  devoted  to  the  Union.  He  became  acquainted 
with  many  of  these  men,  and  they  formed  a  secret  society 


200  The  Unian  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

pledged  to  the  Union.  The  Confederate  and  State  authori 
ties  got  after  these  men  and  hunted  them  down  to  break 
up  their  organization,  and  caught  some  of  them  and  after 
a  farce  of  a  trial  convicted  and  hung  sixteen  at  Gainsville. 

The  situation  became  so  critical  that  Mr.  Pratt  found 
that  he  would  be  obliged  to  leave  Texas,  and  collecting  part 
of  a  company,  they  made  their  way  north,  traveling  of 
nights  and  laying  up  during  the  day  in  the  thickets  and 
brush  along  the  streams,  until  they  were  able  to  cross  Red 
River  into  the  Southeast  part  of  the  Choctaw  Nation, 
being  pursued  most  of  the  time  by  blood  hounds.  After 
passing  through  the  Choctaw  Nation  they  entered  the 
mountains  of  Southwest  Arkansas,  but  had  great  diffi 
culty  in  working  their  way  north,  for  the  passes  in  the 
mountains  were  guarded  by  the  Confederates  who  had 
instructions  to  intercept  them  if  practicable.  Much  of 
the  time,  half  starved  and  suffering  from  intolerable  thirst 
and  subject  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  day  and 
night,  they  had  a  toilsome  journey  of  over  two  hundred 
miles  before  they  found  friendly  greetings  among  the 
soldiers  of  the  Indian  command. 

Some  of  these  men  enlisted  in  the  two  Arkansas  regi 
ments  then  completing  their  organization  at  Fayetteville, 
and  Mr.  Pratt  went  north  to  Fort  Scott  with  the  first 
empty  supply  train  returning  to  that  place,  and  that  summer 
and  autumn  took  an  active  part  in  recruiting  the  Fourteenth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  in  which  he  was  commissioned  a  Lieu 
tenant,  and  later  performed  valuable  service  in  connection 
with  the  Indian  Brigade,  proving  by  acts  his  devotion  to 
the  Union. 

On  the  24th,  the  Indian  command  marched  from  the 
Big  Spring  to  the  Illinois  River,  twelve  miles  south,  where 
it  encamped  about  ten  days,  sending  out  nearly  every  day 
reconnoitering  expeditions  to  the  south  and  southwest  into 
the  Cherokee  Nation  as  far  south  as  the  Arkansas  River, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  201 

in  order  to  keep  advised  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy, 
manifestations  of  whose  activity  were  looked  for  at  any 
moment. 

The  young  foliage  of  the  forest  trees  was  noticeable; 
the  fragrance  of  the  wild  flowers  on  the  line  of  march  per 
fumed  the  air,  and  the  grass  and  wild  onions  in  the  creek 
and  river  bottoms  afforded  grazing  for  the  ponies  of  the 
refugee  Indian  families,  the  number  of  which  had  lately 
gradually  increased,  and  as  these  conditions  further  south 
were  more  pronounced,  the  Cherokees  who  had  espoused  the 
Southern  cause,  and  then  south  of  the  Arkansas  River,  were 
certain  to  make  efforts  to  return  to  their  homes  on  the  north 
side,  which  meant  that  the  Union  Indian  soldiers  would 
soon  have  plenty  of  work  ahead. 

After  a  few  days  in  camp  at  Illinois  River,  Colonel 
Phillips  sent  a  detachment  of  thirty  men  back  to  Neosho 
with  mail  for  the  north  and  instructions  for  the  command 
ing  officer  of  the  Indian  Battalion  there,  to  bring  away 
as  early  as  practicable  the  refugee  Indian  families  at  that 
place  and  join  him  at  Parkhill,  Cherokee  Nation.  The  dif 
ficulty  of  providing  transportation  for  so  many  families 
and  their  belongings,  had  been  met,  and  the  Indian  soldiers 
stationed  there  during  the  winter  it  was  believed  would 
make  a  sufficient  escort  to  protect  them  and  the  train  in 
their  journey  to  their  own  country. 

The  position  of  the  Indian  command  on  the  Illinois 
River  covered  the  gap  in  the  mountains  through  which 
any  considerable  Confederate  force  from  the  neighborhood 
of  Van  Buren  would  likely  pass  to  enter  Northwest  Arkansas 
west  of  Fayetteville,  and  prudence  dictated  the  necessity  of 
watching  closely  that  gap  and  of  keeping  advised  of  any 
troops  from  the  south  passing  through  it  or  attempting  to 
pass  through  it. 

Several  Unionists  came  into  Fayetteville  from  near  the 
Arkansas  River  below  Van  Buren  and  reported  that  when 
they  left  home  Colonel  Carroll  with  a  Confederate  force  of 
about  one  thousand  mounted  men  was  preparing  to  march 


202  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

north  on  the  State  Line  Road,  and  this  information  was  at 
once  communicated  to  Colonel  Phillips  who  ordered  Captain 
N.  B.  Lucas  and  Lieutenant  W.  M.  Smalley  of  the  Battalion 
of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  to  take  two  hundred  men  and 
make  a  reconnoissance  as  far  south  as  Dutch  Mills,  which 
was  on  the  road  the  enemy  were  reported  as  intending  to 
advance  on,  and  make  careful  inquiry  in  regard  to  enemy 
movements. 

The  reconnoissance  under  Captain  Lucas  did  not  de 
velop  any  new  movements  of  the  enemy ;  but  it  secured  in 
formation  showing  that  Colonel  Carroll  was  preparing  for 
active  operations  in  some  quarter  in  a  short  time ;  whether 
his  blow  was  intended  for  the  troops  under  Colonel  Harrison 
at  Fayetteville,  or  the  Indian  command,  could  not  be  de 
termined. 

A  reconnoissance  of  about  three  hundred  men  sent  to 
Parkhill  and  to  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Gibson  to  ascertain 
the  condition  of  affairs  in  that  part  of  the  Territory,  did 
not  meet  any  hostile  force,  but  on  returning  to  the  command 
reported  that  on  their  arrival  at  Parkhill  they  found  a  Con 
federate  force  of  fifty  to  sixty  white  men  in  Federal 
uniforms  had  been  there  the  day  before,  and  coming  upon 
a  party  of  Union  Indians,  called  Pin  Indians,  killed  seven  of 
them,  being  deceived  by  the  uniform  the  enemy  were  wear 
ing.  These  Pin  Indians  were  a  secret  organization  devoted 
to  the  Union,  but  did  not  enlist  in  the  Union  Indian  regi 
ments;  they  were  known  as  abolitionists.  They  were  de 
cidedly  opposed  to  slavery. 

From  such  information  as  was  obtained,  it  was  believed 
that  the  enemy  making  the  attack  were  a  part  of  Quant- 
rilFs  command  returning  from  Northern  Texas  to  its  old 
haunts  in  Jackson  and  Lafayette  counties,  Missouri,  for 
its  fiendish  operations  were  heard  of  at  other  points  on  its 
march  after  that  date.  It  was  generally  known  that  it  did 
not  take  any  prisoners,  but  murdered  the  Federal  soldiers 
and  Union  men  who  fell  into  its  hands,  and  was  particu 
larly  severe  in  dealing  with  Pin  Indians, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  203 

There  were  many  instances  where  these  bandits  who 
generally  wore  the  Federal  uniform-  were  able  to  deceive 
small  detachments  of  Federal  soldiers  and  shoot  them  down 
before  they  could  offer  any  resistance;  and  yet  Quantrill 
and  his  men  were  in  good  standing  with  the  Confederate 
Generals,  and  even  with  the  leaders  of  the  Confederate 
Government  at  Richmond,  which  he  visited  and  ventured 
to  give  advice  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  war  in  the 
west. 


204  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

CHAPTER  XII 
UNION  INDIAN  BRIGADE  CAPTURES  FORT  GIBSON 

On  the  morning  of  April  3d,  the  Indian  command 
marched  from  Illinois  River  twelve  miles  southwest  to 
Cincinnati,  a  small  village  on  the  State  line,  where  it  en 
camped  three  or  four  days,  keeping  in  touch  with  Colonel 
Harrison's  force  at  Fayetteville,  and  by  keeping  out  re- 
connoitering  detachments  to  the  south  and  southwest,  was 
daily  advised  of  conditions  on  its  front  for  a  distance  of 
twenty  to  twenty-five  miles. 

Colonel  Phillips  had  brought  his  command  through 
the  winter  in  good  shape,  and  the  troops  had  confidence  in 
his  judgment  and  patriotism;  he  had  lately  been  joined  by 
two  companies  of  the  Third  Indian  Regiment  that  had  been 
stationed  at  Maysville  in  a  fortified  position  during  the 
winter,  and  when  joined  in  a  few  days  by  a  battalion  of  the 
same  regiment,  under  Major  Foreman,  at  Neosho,  he  would 
have  an  effective  fighting  force  of  about  three  thousand 
men  and  a  battery  of  four  guns. 

He  had  information  that  Generals  Steele  and  Cooper 
were  having  much  difficulty  in  reorganizing  their  Indian 
forces  for  a  spring  campaign.  They  had  not  recovered  from 
the  demoralization  that  seized  them  in  their  flight  from  the 
action  at  Old  Fort  Wayne  in  October,  in  which  they  lost 
their  artillery.  They  had  not  taken  any  part  in  the  action 
at  Cane  Hill,  or  in  the  battle  of  Prairie  Grove ;  nor  had  they 
as  an  organized  unit  taken  any  part  in  any  operation  north 
of  the  Arkansas  River  since  their  defeat,  nor  was  it  likely 
that  they  would  take  part  in  any  aggressive  movement 
north  until  they  were  joined  by  a  strong  contingent  of  white 
troops.  Their  morale  was  very  low. 

Colonel  Watie,  commanding  the  regiment  of  Cherokees 
in  the  Confederate  service,  had  been  able  to  keep  his  men 
together,  and  small  parties  of  them  had  several  times 
crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  River  and  made 
some  disturbance,  and  as  he  was  an  enterprising  Indian 


COLON  EL  W.  A.  PHILLIPS 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  205 

officer,  it  was  anticipated  that  he  would  display  some  ac 
tivity  when  the  Union  Indians  occupied  their  country  to 
the  Arkansas  River,  which  separated  the  Cherokee  from 
the  Choctaw  Nation. 

There  were  many  things  connected  with  army  opera 
tions  in  that  section  that  appealed  to  the  commander  of  the 
Indian  Brigade  for  his  consideration.  His  principal  and 
immediate  work  was  to  restore  the  refugee  Indian  families 
in  exile  to  their  homes  and  give  them  protection;  but  there 
were  white  families  of  Unionists  in  the  mountains  south  of 
him  who  represented  that  they  had  been  stripped  of  nearly 
everything  they  possessed  by  Southern  partisan  bandits; 
that  they  were  in  distress,  and  desired  to  be  removed  to 
some  point  within  the  Federal  lines;  that  the  heads  of 
these  families  were  in  the  Federal  army.  The  question  was 
up  to  him  as  to  what  action  should  be  taken  for  their  relief. 
On  the  representations  made  to  him,  Colonel  Phillips  di 
rected  Lieutenant  Joseph  Hall,  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry, 
to  take  about  one  hundred  men  of  his  battalion  and  a  suf 
ficient  number  of  four-mule  teams  and  bring  out  the 
families  and  their  belongings,  which  he  did,  and  they  were 
sent  to  Fayetteville  where  they  had  friends  and  relatives  in 
the  army. 

There  were  many  instances  in  which  returning  scouting 
expeditions  had  brought  back  with  them  Union  families 
who  had  been  unable  to  accompany  their  male  members  to 
the  Federal  lines  when  obliged  to  leave  home.  There  was 
much  more  of  this  kind  of  work  that  fell  to  the  troops  at 
Fayetteville  than  to  the  troops  of  the  Indian  command,  and 
there  were  frequent  expeditions  sent  out  from  that  place 
with  teams  a  distance  of  fifty  to  sixty  miles  to  bring  in 
Union  families,  most  of  whom  were  families  of  soldiers  who 
had  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  and  who  had  incurred  the 
displeasures  of  the  Southern  partisan  bands  infesting  their 
neighborhoods. 

Having  made  the  necessary  preparations,  on  the  6th, 
the  Indian  command  marchea  from  Cincinnati  twelve  miles 


206  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

south  to  Dutch  Mills,  on  the  State  line,  and  at  that  place 
turned  west  into  the  Cherokee  Nation  on  a  road  that  led 
to  Parkhill,  but  marched  only  three  or  four  miles  and  went 
into  camp  for  the  night,  and  called  it  "Camp  Jim  Lane,"  in 
honor  of  Senator  Lane,  of  Kansas.  The  march  was  resumed 
the  next  morning  twenty-two  miles  west  to  Parkhill,  where 
the  command  encamped  near  the  residence  of  the  Chief 
John  Ross  and  waited  the  arrival  of  the  Refugee  train  from 
Neosho,  which  was  reported  to  be  within  a  few  days'  march. 

After  the  command  passed  into  the  Cherokee  Nation 
the  physical  aspects  of  the  country  changed  every  mile; 
it  was  less  broken  and  more  inviting  and  seemed  better 
adapted  to  agricultural  and  grazing  purposes  than  Arkan 
sas,  and  the  Indians  certainly  showed  good  judgment  in 
wishing  to  get  back  to  their  own  country,  where  they  hoped 
to  enjoy  life  under  their  own  fig  tree. 

The  Refugee  Indian  train  bearing  the  Indian  families 
from  Neosho  arrived  at  Parkhill  on  the  9th,  having  been 
en  route  ten  days.  It  was  about  a  mile  long,  and  as  nearly 
every  kind  of  vehicle  was  used,  it  was  obliged  to  move 
slowly,  some  days  making  not  more  than  three  or  four  miles. 
It  was  estimated  that  it  brought  down  one  thousand  fami 
lies;  many  of  them  had  been  exiles  from  their  homes  for 
more  than  a  year,  and  the  joyful  greetings  between  some  of 
them  and  the  Indian  soldiers  was  attended  with  a  good 
deal  of  pathos,  although  Indians  are  not  considered  very 
emotional.  Many  changes  and  heartaches  had  taken  place 
during  the  interval  of  separation  of  members  of  families. 

This  restoring  of  the  Refugee  Indian  families  to  their 
homes  was  an  event  that  probably  made  a  lasting  impres 
sion  upon  their  minds,  and  the  humane  and  sympathetic 
policy  of  the  Government  in  guarding  their  interests  and 
welfare  tended  to  strengthen  their  loyalty  and  devotion 
to  it. 

Most  of  these  families  dispersed  in  a  few  days  to  their 
homes  in  different  parts  of  the  Cherokee  and  Creek  Na 
tions,  and  as  the  season  was  not  too  far  advanced,  put  in 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  207 

such  crops  as  they  had  usually  raised,  as  far  as  they  were 
able  to  get  seed  corn  and  seeds,  and  in  many  instances  be 
came  self-supporting,  which  relieved  the  Government  of  the 
burden  of  feeding  them.  Some  of  the  Indian  families  liv 
ing  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  left  the 
train  en  route  and  returned  to  their  homes. 

During  the  winter  at  Neosho  there  had  been  an  epi 
demic  of  measles  among  them  and  many  deaths  from  its 
resulting  sequelae,  on  account  of  inadequate  care  and  nurs 
ing,  for  there  were  not  at  that  time  professional  graduate 
female  nurses  connected  with  army  hospitals,  as  was  later 
the  custom;  nor  were  there  committees  of  white  women 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  looking  after  the  sick  or  fami 
lies  in  distress  among  the  refugees.  The  white  families 
were  too  much  divided  in  their  political  sympathies  to  en 
gage  in  charitable  work. 

When  the  Indian  expedition  entered  the  Indian  coun 
try  in  the  spring  of  1862,  it  found  everywhere  herds  of 
cattle  and  horses  running  on  the  range,  and  on  its  with 
drawal,  of  the  Indian  families  that  left  their  homes,  nearly 
every  one  brought  out  one  or  more  ponies,  which  they  clung 
to  tenaciously  and  took  back  with  them  on  their  return, 
and  which  would  be  of  great  assistance  in  tending  their 
crops  and  visiting  relations  and  friends  of  the  Indian  com 
mand. 

There  had  not  been  destruction  of  houses  and  fences 
in  the  Indian  country  like  there  had  been  in  the  western 
counties  of  Western  Missouri  where  the  troops  might  march 
a  day  on  some  of  the  main  roads  without  seeing  a  house 
or  fence  standing,  where  they  saw  only  standing  chimneys 
to  mark  the  places  where  the  houses  had  been  burned. 

Near  Webber's  Falls,  twenty-five  miles  below  Fort  . 
Gibson  on  the  Arkansas  River,  there  was  a  good  ford  at 
which  a  Southern  force  could  cross  for  a  raid  into  the 
northern  part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  and  in  order  to 
keep  advised  of  any  hostile  movement  in  that  direction 
Colonel  Phillips,  on  leaving  Dutch  Mills,  ordered  Major 


208  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Foreman,  with  three  hundred  mounted  men  of  the  Third 
Indian  Regiment,  to  make  a  thorough  reconnaissance  of 
that  region  and  rejoin  the  main  command  at  Parkhill,  where 
further  movements  would  be  decided  upon. 

During  this  reconnaissance  the  Major  came  up  with 
and  had  a  skirmish  with  a  force  of  Southern  Indians  of 
General  Cooper's  command,  and  in  the  action  near  the 
mouth  of  Illinois  River  six  of  the  enemy  were  slain,  includ 
ing  one  captain  and  one  sergeant,  and  he  captured  several 
men  who  were  terribly  frightened,  for  they  expected  to  be 
killed  in  retaliation  for  the  killing  of  six  loyal  Indians  re 
cently  near  Parkhill  by  Southern  men  in  Federal  uniform. 
The  troops  of  the  reconnaissance  also  captured  and  brought 
in  about  three  hundred  head  of  cattle,  most  of  which  were 
in  fair  condition  for  beef,  and  would  be  an  important  ac 
quisition  to  the  commissary  department  of  the  command. 

It  was  known  that  the  Indians  in  that  part  of  the  Chero 
kee  Nation  had  not  suffered  as  much  in  losses  of  property 
as  those  living  in  the  northern  part.  Those  who  had  es 
poused  the  Southern  cause  had  lost  very  little  of  their  live 
stock,  as  cattle  and  horses  and  food  supplies,  and  nearly  all 
the  Southern  Indian  families  were  still  living  in  their  homes 
except  the  men  who  were  with  Colonel  Watie. 

There  was  increasing  evidence  that  the  force  at  Fay- 
etteville  under  Colonel  Harrison  would  soon  have  all  it 
could  do  to  maintain  its  position  there.  A  reconnoitering 
party  of  about  fifty  men  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  on 
returning  to  the  Indian  command  from  near  that  place, 
reported  that  it  came  near  meeting  a  Confederate  scout  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men  from  Colonel  Carroll's  regiment 
encamped  near  Van  Buren.  So  near  were  the  hostile  forces 
to  each  other  that  the  Federal  detachment  captured  one 
of  the  Confederates  and  brought  him  a  prisoner  into  camp. 
The  information  he  was  able  to  give  did  not  indicate  that 
Colonel  Carroll  had  lately  been  re-enforced,  but  that  he 
would  soon  move  his  command  north  of  the  mountains 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  209 

and  endeavor  to  cut  off  Colonel  Harrison's  communication 
with  Cassville  and  Springfield,  and  make  his  position  at 
Fayetteville  untenable. 

Several  days  before  marching  with  his  main  force  from 
Parkhill  to  Fort  Gibson,  Colonel  Phillips  sent  forward  a 
battalion  of  the  Second  Indian  Regiment  and  one  company 
of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  to  thoroughly  reconnoiter  the 
position  and  develop  the  strength  of  the  enemy  there 
and  in  that  vicinity.  On  nearing  the  post  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  detachment  ascertained  that  there  was  a 
company  of  Colonel  Watie's  Cherokee  regiment  there,  and 
at  once  made  preparations  to  charge  them,  which  he  did 
with  resolution  and  with  the  war  whoop.  It  was  all  over  in 
a  few  minutes,  and  the  enemy  put  to  flight  with  the  loss  of 
five  killed  and  wounded  and  with  as  many  prisoners,  while 
the  remainder  of  the  force  was  pursued  and  hemmed  in  at 
the  mouth  of  Grand  River  and  obliged  to  plunge  into  the 
Arkansas  and  swim  to  the  south  side  to  save  themselves 
from  capture. 

This  operation  accomplished,  there  was  now  no  enemy 
north  of  the  Arkansas  River,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
13th,  the  troops,  baggage  trains  and  artillery  of  the  Indian 
command,  and  perhaps  most  of  the  refugee  Indians  from 
Neosho,  marched  from  Parkhill  eighteen  miles  southwest 
to  Fort  Gibson,  which  had  been  the  objective  of  the  Federal 
forces  operating  in  the  Indian  country  for  more  than  a 
year;  for  it  was  considered  the  key  to  all  that  section,  in  a 
military  sense,  by  officers  of  the  army  who  had  been  sta 
tioned  there. 

Fort  Gibson  was  established  as  a  military  post  in  1830. 
It  had  quarters  for  officers  and  men  for  two  companies ;  it 
was  on  the  east  side  of  Grand  River,  three  miles  above  its 
junction  with  the  Arkansas;  it  had  never  been  fortified 
except  in  the  construction  of  two  block  houses,  which  were 
in  a  state  of  decay  and  practically  useless  as  a  defense 
against  modern  artillery.  The  position  was  naturally  a 


210  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

strong  one  with  even  temporary  earthworks  thrown  up. 
There  was  no  point  as  high  as  the  bluff  that  overlooked 
Grand  River  that  flowed  at  its  foot,  within  a  mile  or  so, 
from  which  an  enemy  could  use  artillery  to  advantage. 
The  new  Government  buildings  for  quartermaster  and  com 
missary  stores  were  of  stone  and  covered  with  slate  and 
stood  on  the  bluff  about  seventy-five  feet  above  the  river. 
They  were  very  useful  to  the  Indian  command  in  storing 
quartermaster  and  commissary  supplies  brought  down  in 
wagon  trains  from  Fort  Scott. 

From  the  roofs  of  the  stone  buildings  one  could  see  on 
looking  to  the  east,  some  ten  miles  off,  in  bold  outlines, 
the  range  of  hills  which  were  the  western  terminus  of  the 
Ozark  Mountains.  Turning  to  the  south  and  overlooking 
the  Arkansas  River,  three  miles  distant,  the  eyes  rested 
upon  the  opposite  heights  and  the  prairie  beyond,  and 
turning  to  the  west  and  southwest,  were  presented  to  the 
view  the  western  heights  of  Grand  River,  a  mile  and 
a  half  to  two  miles  away.  Farther  to  the  southwest  could 
be  seen  a  prairie  region  with  a  strip  of  timber,  green  with 
the  spring  foliage,  running  through  it  in  a  southeast  direc 
tion.  This  ribbon-like  strip  of  timber  marked  the  course  of 
the  Verdigris  River,  which  emptied  into  the  Arkansas  five 
or  six  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Grand  River,  and  at  that 
season  of  the  year  with  the  young  grass  of  the  prairies 
and  the  tender  foliage  of  the  trees  in  the  distance,  made 
the  scene  one  of  great  beauty  to  the  lover  of  nature.  A 
notable  feature  of  the  timber  was  the  mistletoe  growing 
on  the  elms  which  many  of  the  white  soldiers  had  not 
seen  before ;  it  was  a  parasitic  evergreen  rarely  seen  grow 
ing  on  trees  north  of  that  latitude;  but  it  was  frequently 
brought  north  to  Missouri  to  decorate  rooms  during  Christ 
mas  times;  it  had  a  small  berry  on  it  of  a  viscid  taste. 
There  was  another  feature  of  that  section  not  seen  as  far 
north  as  Missouri  and  Kansas,  and  that  was  canebrakes 
along  the  streams,  which  enabled  cattle  and  ponies  to  live 
on  the  cane  during  the  winter  without  other  provender. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  2 1 1 

This  cane  along  the  streams  and  the  fine  wild  grass  on  the 
prairies  and  uplands  enabled  the  Indians  to  raise  large 
numbers  of  cattle  and  ponies  at  a  very  small  cost,  and  the 
armies  of  both  sides  operating  in  the  Indian  country  dur 
ing  the  war  supplied  themselves  with  beef,  for  which  the 
Indians  were  never  fully  paid. 

The  junction  of  the  three  rivers  within  a  few  miles 
of  each  other  had  made  Fort  Gibbon  a  central  point  from 
the  fact  it  was  the  head  of  navigation  of  the  Arkansas 
and  its  tributaries,  and  enjoyed  quite  a  trade  up  to  the 
war,  supplying  the  Indians  such  goods  and  trinkets  as  they 
required. 

Although  it  required  a  rise  of  four  or  five  feet  in  the 
Arkansas  to  allow  light  draft  steamers  to  pass  Webber's 
Falls,  that  rise  came  every  season  and  the  Government 
took  advantage  of  it  to  bring  up  the  river  on  steamboats 
supplies  for  the  troops  at  the  fort  and  goods  for  distribu 
tion  to  the  Indians  to  the  west  and  southwest. 

The  officers'  and  soldiers'  quarters  were  one  story 
wooden  structures  built  on  a  piazza  or  square  similar  to 
court  house  squares  of  county  seat  towns.  The  interiors 
of  the  buildings  were  well  finished  and  in  good  condition, 
but  the  outsides  were  beginning  to  look  old  and  the  need  of 
paint.  A  few  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  Indian  com 
mand  at  Fort  Gibson,  a  day  was  given  over  to  festivities 
in  celebrating  the  event  by  raising  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
to  their  old  place  on  the  flagstaff  from  where  they  had 
been  hauled  down  by  the  Confederates  early  in  the  war, 
and  to  which  place  they  were  to  come  down  no  more  by 
enemy  hands.  The  programme  included  speeches  by 
Colonel  Phillips  and  several  prominent  men  of  the  Chero- 
kees  and  Creeks  who  were  present,  and  the  firing  of  a 
national  salute  by  the  battery.  There  was  a  large  crowd 
of  Indians,  old  and  young,  at  the  exercises,  who  mani 
fested  a  deep  interest  in  the  proceedings.  They  seemed  to 
appreciate  the  event  as  their  day  of  triumph. 


212  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

In  his  speech  Colonel  Phillips  referred  briefly  to  the 
humane  policy  of  the  Government  in  dealing  with  the  In 
dians,  and  of  its  determination  to  fulfill  its  covenants  with 
them  in  a  liberal  spirit ;  that  the  National  Flag,  the  emblem 
of  National  Unity,  Liberty  and  Justice,  was  raised  to  its 
proper  place  on  the  flagstaff,  as  he  hoped,  to  be  hauled 
down  no  more  by  enemy  hands;  that  if  the  Indian  sol 
diers  and  their  families  at  their  homes  in  different  parts 
of  their  country  would  keep  in  close  touch  with  each  other, 
they  might  advise  him  of  enemy  movements  in  time  to 
enable  him  to  meet  them  and  defeat  their  purpose  of  rob 
bery,  pillage  and  murder;  that  the  enemy  south  of  the 
Arkansas  River  were  already  beginning  to  show  signs  of 
activity,  and  that  he  had  no  doubt  but  that  he  and  his 
troops  during  the  spring  and  summer  would  be  fully  em 
ployed  in  holding  that  position;  that  there  must  be  loyal 
co-operation  between  all  his  forces;  that  each  individual 
must  do  his  part  without  considering  it  a  hardship,  and 
that  in  a  few  days  he  would  commence  the  construction 
of  fortifications,  which,  when  finished,  would  make  the 
place  impregnable  to  any  force  likely  to  be  brought  against 
it;  and  that  under  the  conditions  then  existing,  he  had  a 
force  sufficient  to  defend  it,  which  meant  holding  the 
Indian  country  north  of  the  Arkansas  River. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Lewis  Downing,  of  the  Third  In 
dian  Regiment  and  former  Chief  of  the  Cherokees,  and 
Colonel  William  P.  Ross,  a  brother  of  Chief  John  Ross, 
were  present  and  spoke  briefly  and  appreciatively  in  behalf 
of  the  Indians  and  of  the  efforts  of  the  Government  to 
safe-guard  their  interests  and  welfare,  and  promised  loyal 
co-operation  in  all  movements  to  that  end. 

The  leaders  of  the  Creeks  spoke  in  their  native 
language,  but  interpreters  stated  that  their  words  were 
expressive  of  confidence  and  devotion  to  the  Government, 
and  that  it  would  use  its  power  for  the  protection  of  their 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  213 

rights,  interests  and  welfare;  that  the  future  looked  more 
promising  to  them  than  at  any  time  since  the  beginning 
of  the  war. 

There  was  no  band  with  the  Indian  command,  but  the 
Star  Spangled  Banner  and  other  national  airs,  were  sung 
by  an  improvised  choir  of  about  a  dozen  ladies  and  gen 
tlemen,  some  of  the  ladies  being  wives  of  officers  on  a 
visit  to  their  husbands  in  the  Indian  Brigade;  the  solos 
and  other  features  of  the  music  were  real  treats  to  the 
white  and  Indian  soldiers  present. 

It  was  a  beautiful  spring  day,  and  the  only  thing  to 
mar  the  proceedings  was  a  serious  accident  that  occurred 
while  Major  Hopkins'  Battery  was  firing  a  National  Salute 
of  thirty-four  guns.  One  of  the  pieces  just  after  it  had 
been  fired  and  swabbed  and  the  blank  cartridge  rammed 
home,  went  off  accidentally  before  the  rammer  was  with 
drawn  and  still  in  hands  of  the  gunner,  blowing  off  one 
of  his  arms  above  the  elbow,  and  almost  tearing  off  the 
other  hand.  He  was  for  an  instant  enveloped  in  a  flame 
of  fire  and  smoke,  and  badly  burned  about  the  body,  and 
finally  died  from  his  injuries. 

A  day  or  two  after  the  arrival  of  the  Indian  com 
mand  at  Fort  Gibson  the  construction  and  completion  of 
bake  ovens  was  effected,  which  satisfied  the  Indians  that 
the  occupation  of  the  place  was  to  be  of  a  permanent  char 
acter,  and  that  it  was  to  be  the  headquarters  of  the  Fed 
eral  forces  operating  in  the  Indian  country.  They  were 
much  gratified  to  be  informed  that  there  was  no  intention 
of  the  Government  to  withdraw  the  white  troops  from 
their  country. 

There  were  several  men  of  the  contingent  of  white 
troops  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  bakery  business  be 
fore  their  enlistment  and  a  sufficient  number  of  them  were 
detailed  to  operate  the  bakery,  which  would  be  able  to 
furnish  the  troops  better  bread  than  they  had  been  hav 
ing.  It  was  considered  healthier  for  the  men  and  more 


214  The  Union-  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

economical  in  the  use  of  flour  than  the  bread  made  by 
company  cooks.  There  would  at  least  be  uniformity  in  the 
bread  furnished  the  troops,  and  inspectors  to  look  after 
its  proper  production  and  the  sanitary  conditions  of  the 
bakery  . 

The  health  and  comfort  of  his  troops  and  the  sanitary 
condition  of  their  camps  would  not  be  neglected  by  an 
intelligent  commander  who  counted  on  their  efficiency  in 
his  field  of  operations,  and  make  or  mar  his  reputation. 
Every  commander  was  held  responsible  for  the  good  or 
bad  conduct  of  his  men. 

The  command  had  barely  settled  down  in  its  new 
position  when,  on  account  of  rumors  afloat  concerning 
Confederate  activities,  it  began  to  feel  anxiety  about  the 
safety  of  its  commissary  train  due  from  Fort  Scott  with 
instructions  to  join  it  at  Parkhill,  and  in  order  to  be  cor 
rectly  advised  of  its  position  and  cause  of  delay,  a  de 
tachment  of  sixty  Indian  and  white  soldiers  was  sent  out 
north  in  the  direction  of  Maysville,  to  meet  it  and  re- 
enforce  the  escort.  After  waiting  two  or  three  days  and 
not  hearing  from  the  detachment  sent  out  or  the  train, 
Colonel  Phillips  ordered  out  a  force  of  two  hundred  In 
dians  and  white  soldiers  to  proceed  north  and  northeast 
in  the  direction  of  Maysville  until  definite  information 
was  obtained  in  regard  to  the  train  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  wagons  loaded  with  commissary  supplies,  and 
the  cause  of  its  delay. 

The  troops  sent  out  to  meet  the  train  and  re-enforce 
the  escort  found  that  the  delay  had  been  due  to  its  hav 
ing  been  sent  down  by  way  of  Neosho,  Missouri,  instead 
of  by  way  of  Baxter  Springs  on  the  Military  Road  on  the 
west  side  of  Grand  River,  a  route  that  would  have  made  it 
comparatively  free  from  attack  and  shortened  the  distance 
at  least  fifty  miles. 

The  arrival  of  the  train  was  hailed  with  delight  by 
the  troops.  They  realized  that  any  mishap  to  it  would 
have  been  disastrous  to  their  operations  in  that  region, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  215 

and  to  the  Union  cause  among  the  Indians.  It  was  at 
once  unloaded  and  the  supplies  stored  in  the  two  large 
stone  buildings  on  the  bluff;  it  was  estimated  that  it 
brought  down  sufficient  commissary  supplies  to  last  the 
troops  for  a  month;  but  as  Colonel  Phillips  had  been 
obliged  to  feed  the  non-combatant  Indians  with  his  com 
mand  and  constantly  coming  in,  he  was  short  on  the  bread 
ration  for  his  troops  before  the  arrival  of  another  train. 
He  had  accumulated  some  supplies  for  his  men  before  leav 
ing  Arkansas,  but  they  were  soon  exhausted  on  account 
of  dividing  his  rations  among  the  non-combatant  Indians 
constantly  near  his  command.  He  realized  that  he  had  a 
difficult  problem  on  his  hands  to  keep  his  lines  of  com 
munication  open  and  to  bring  down  from  Fort  Scott  sup 
plies  for  his  troops  in  the  face  of  the  increasingly  threat 
ening  attitude  of  the  Confederate  forces  of  Generals  Steele 
and  Cooper  south  of  the  Arkansas  River;  the  pressure 
upon  his  commissaries  for  rations  for  the  non-combatant 
Indians  might  be  relieved  to  some  extent  by  the  Indian 
women  in  different  parts  of  their  country  raising  garden 
stuff  and  gathering  wild  berries  and  fruits,  and  bringing 
them  in  and  exchanging  them  with  the  soldiers  for  a  part 
of  their  rations.  It  was  not  an  unusual  sight  that  spring 
to  see  in  the  camps  of  the  soldiers  Indian  women  with 
little  sacks  of  wortleberries  brought  in  on  their  ponies 
from  a  distance  of  thirty  to  forty  miles,  for  exchange 
for  some  part  of  the  regular  food  ration.  His  considerate 
care  for  the  welfare  of  the  non-combatant  Indians  spread 
into  the  hostile  territory,  and  a  few  days  after  the  arrival 
of  his  command  at  Fort  Gibson,  a  flag  of  truce  came  in 
from  the  Creek  Indians  who  had  been  identified  with  those 
who  had  espoused  the  Confederate  cause,  wishing  to  know 
on  what  terms  they  would  be  received;  that  they  were 
desirous  of  renewing  their  allegiance  to  the  Government, 
and  that  some  of  their  able  bodied  men  wished  to  enlist 
into  the  Federal  service. 


216  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  Ihe  CM  War. 

Their  spokesman  made  a  nice  little  speech,  which  was 
interpreted  by  one  of  their  number  who  could  speak  Eng 
lish,  to  the  Federal  officers  present.  He  went  on  to  state 
that  from  the  beginning  of  the  war  a  majority  of  the  Creek 
people  had  been  opposed  to  breaking  treaty  relations  with 
the  Government ;  that  their  country  was  early  occupied  by 
a  large  force  of  Texas  troops  and  under  pressure  of  threats 
and  promises  of  the  Confederate  authorities,  and  the 
withdrawal  of  the  Federal  forces  from  the  Indian  country, 
they  had  reluctantly  submitted  to  the  advice  of  their  lead 
ers  ;  but  that  the  promises  of  their  protection  and  the  abid 
ing  interest  in  their  welfare  had  not  been  kept,  which  they 
considered  relieved  them  from  the  situation  that  had  been 
imposed  upon  them,  a  situation  that  was  daily  increasing 
their  distress,  and  endangering  the  lives  of  their  people. 

In  reply  Colonel  Phillips  stated  that  they  could  on 
their  return  inform  their  friends  that  the  Government  was 
not  disposed  to  exercise  vengeance  against  those  who  had 
under  pressure  of  threats  and  promises  of  the  Confed 
erate  authorities,  submitted  to  the  new  regime;  that  those 
who  wished  to  return  to  their  allegiance  to  the  Government 
and  to  renew  friendly  relations  with  any  of  their  friends 
in  his  command  could  do  so  without  any  fear  of  punish 
ment  or  ill  treatment  so  long  as  they  observed  good  faith 
and  honor  in  the  changed  relations;  that  it  was  the  pur 
pose  of  the  Government  to  re-establish  peace  and  tran 
quillity  among  the  Indians,  instead  of  arousing  animosities 
and  setting  them  at  each  others  throats. 

In  less  than  a  week  more  than  one  hundred  Creeks 
and  Seminoles  came  into  Fort  Gibson,  many  of  them  en 
listing  at  once  in  the  First  and  Second  Indian  Regiments, 
which  had  been  in  service  nearly  a  year  and  were  able  to 
accept  quite  a  number  of  recruits  to  fill  their  ranks. 

Within  a  week  after  the  Indian  command  arrived  at 
Fort  Gibson,  under  the  instructions  of  Colonel  Phillips,  the 
engineers  commenced  surveying  the  ground  and  making 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CMl  War.  217 

plans  for  the  construction  of  fortifications  at  that  place. 
The  line  of  earthworks  to  be  thrown  up  extended  from  the 
river  north  of  the  stone  buildings  on  the  bluff,  east  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile,  thence  south  nearly  half  a  mile,  thence 
west  to  the  river,  inclosing  an  area  of  about  fifteen  acres, 
which,  in  the  event  of  a  siege,  would  enable  him  to  bring 
all  his  troops  within  the  fortified  position. 

In  the  plans  there  were  angles,  facings  and  emplace 
ments  for  his  artillery  to  sweep  the  ground  on  all  fronts; 
details  were  made  from  all  the  troops,  Indian  and  white, 
to  work  on  the  fortifications,  with  instructions  for  each 
detail  to  bring  with  it  picks  and  shovels,  and  under  the 
guidance  of  several  officers,  the  men  were  set  to  work 
making  the  dirt  fly  along  the  line  laid  out. 

The  weather  was  getting  warm  and  neither  Indian  nor 
white  soldiers  coveted  such  work;  but  they  were  able  to 
see  the  necessity  of  being  prepared  for  an  emergency,  and 
few  complaints  were  heard  from  the  three  or  four  hun 
dred  men  employed  every  day.  Rapid  progress  was  made 
and  in  the  course  of  a  week  fortifications  were  thrown  up 
that  could  have  been  used  to  great  advantage  in  an  at 
tack,  which,  however,  was  not  immediately  apprehended. 

The  fortified  position  had  the  advantage  that  the 
troops  within  it  could  not  be  cut  off  from  their  water 
supply,  for  Grand  River  ran  close  to  the  foot  of  the  bluff 
on  the  west  side,  where  three  or  four  ferries  were  kept 
for  crossing  and  recrossing  the  trains  and  the  forces  ope 
rating  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  when  desirable. 

There  were  times  when  fully  one-half  of  the  troops  of 
the  Indian  command  were  absent  from  that  station  escort 
ing  trains  and  making  reconnaissance  to  parts  of  the  Indian 
country  where  Confederate  forces  were  reported  to  be 
operating,  and  if  an  attack  should  be  made  on  the  place 
in  the  absence  of  their  comrades,  the  fortifications  could 
be  used  in  repelling  it,  by  those  left  in  camp,  probably 
never  less  than  five  or  six  hundred  fighting  men  and  at 
least  one  section  of  the  battery. 


218  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Having  received  information  that  Colonel  Phillips  had 
moved  into  the  Cherokee  Nation  with  the  Indian  command, 
and  that  Colonel  Harrison  was  preparing  to  re-enforce  him 
with  the  Federal  force  at  Fayetteville,  General  Cabell  took 
the  effective  mounted  force  of  his  command  encamped  on 
the  Arkansas  River  below  Van  Buren  and  two  pieces  of 
artillery,  estimated  at  two  thousand  men,  and  marched 
north  over  the  Mulberry  and  Frog  Bayou  Road  to  attack 
the  Federal  force  at  Fayetteville. 

In  approaching  the  town  he  captured  the  Federal 
pickets  and  several  other  Federal  soldiers  who  were  away 
from  camp,  and  commenced  the  attack  at  daylight,  on  the 
18th,  and  after  nearly  four  hours  heavy  fighting  was 
repulsed  and  driven  off  with  severe  loss  in  killed,  wounded 
and  captured.  Federal  losses  in  the  action,  5  killed  and  17 
wounded,  Confederate  losses.  20  killed,  30  wounded  and 
20  missing. 

On  hearing  of  Colonel  Harrison's  success  a  few  days 
later,  in  defeating  and  driving  off  the  Confederates,  the 
troops  of  the  Indian  command  were  congratulating  them 
selves  that  he  would  probably  be  able  to  hold  his  position 
there,  which  would  be  to  their  great  advantage ;  but  in  less 
than  a  week  they  received  information  that  he  had  evacu 
ated  Fayetteville  and  retired  to  Cassville,  Missouri,  fifty 
miles  northeast,  bringing  keen  disappointment,  for  by  this 
movement  General  Cabell  could  use  his  forces  in  co-opera 
tion  with  General  Steele  against  Colonel  Phillips  and  make 
it  more  difficult  for  him  to  hold  his  position  at  Fort 
Gibson. 

The  Confederate  detachments  operating  north  of  the 
Arkansas  River  having  been  swept  away  by  the  Indian 
command  before  its  occupation,  General  Cooper,  command 
ing  the  Confederate  forces  in  the  field  south  of  the  river, 
was  anxious  to  ascertain  the  strength  and  intentions  of 
the  forces  opposing  him,  whether  their  occupation  of  Fort 
Gibson  was  intended  to  be  only  temporary  or  permanent; 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  2  \  9 

and  in  order  that  he  might  be  reliably  informed  on  these 
points,  sent  a  spy,  a  young  man  about  twenty  years  old, 
into  Colonel  Phillips'  camp  for  that  purpose,  dressed  as  a 
woman.  He  was  inexperienced  in  the  business  he  had 
undertaken;  his  movements  were  suspicious  and  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  Indians  who  watched  him  closely  until 
they  were  satisfied  that  he  was  a  young  man  disguised  as 
a  woman,  and  then  reported  the  matter  to  the  Provost 
Marshal,  who  ordered  him  arrested. 

In  his  examination  he  was  badly  frightened;  he  ad 
mitted  his  disguise  as  a  woman;  he  realized  that  his  situ 
ation  was  a  serious  one;  when  the  Indians  first  saw  him 
they  thought  he"  was  a  white  woman  near  the  limits  of  the 
camp,  and  yet  there  were  no  white  women  with  the  com 
mand;  on  approaching  him  he  started  in  flight,  but  was 
soon  overtaken;  in  his  fright,  the  information  he  was  able 
to  give  of  enemy  movements  may  have  saved  his  life. 

A  proclamation  fell  into  the  hands  of  Colonel  Phillips 
announcing  that  the  Cherokee  Legislature  representing  the 
faction  of  the  Cherokees  that  had  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  Confederacy  would  meet  at  Webber's  Falls  on  the  25th 
for  the  transaction  of  legislative  business,  and  other  in 
formation  received  stated  that  Colonel  Watie's  regiment 
would  be  there  during  the  session  for  its  protection. 

The  night  before  the  Federal  attack  there  was  a  meeting 
of  the  leaders  of  the  Southern  faction  of  the  Cherokees  at 
Webber's  Falls  for  a  preliminary  discussion  of  the  ques 
tions  which  were  to  be  submitted  to  the  legislative  council 
the  next  day  for  consideration,  and  among  these  was  the 
election  of  a  Principal  Chief  of  the  Cherokees,  and  the 
Military  Situation. 

On  motion  of  one  of  the  leaders,  Colonel  Watie  was 
made  chairman  by  acclamation,  and  requested  to  state  the 
purpose  for  which  the  meeting  was  called,  and  to  make 
any  other  remarks  he  might  consider  pertinent  to  the  situ 
ation.  The  Colonel  gracefully  accepted  the  honor  of  being 


220  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

selected  to  preside  over  the  deliberations  of  the  meeting, 
and  cordially  thanked  those  present  for  the  compliment. 
He  then  said  in  substance:  "Leaders  and  Councilors  of  the 
Cherokee  People:  This  meeting-  has  been  called  for  the 
purpose  of  talking  over  the  questions  to  be  submitted  to 
the  legislative  council  tomorrow,  the  most  important  of 
which  are  the  election  of  principal  chief,  and  the  military 
situation.  You  know  I  am  a  candidate  for  principal  chief 
and  will  be  satisfied  to  leave  that  matter  in  the  hands  of 
my  friends.  The  old  chief,  John  Ross,  you  know,  has  gone 
over  to  the  enemy  after  pledging  his  allegiance  to  the 
South,  and  is  now  living  in  the  North  with  the  Yankees, 
and  is  recognized  by  them  as  an  abolitionist  in  full  fellow 
ship. 

"In  regard  to  the  military  situation,  I  can  speak  of 
it  only  with  a  heavy  heart,  for  evil  times  have  come  upon 
our  country.  Many  of  our  people  have  fled  from  their 
homes  and  living  among  the  Indians  south  of  us,  and  some 
in  Texas,  homeless  and  destitute.  The  Confederates  in  the 
Indian  country  and  in  Western  Arkansas  have  had  no  sub 
stantial  success  since  the  Federal  forces  invaded  and  oc 
cupied  our  country  last  summer,  and  recently  they  have 
occupied  Fort  Gibson  with  several  thousand  Indians  and  a 
contingent  of  white  soldiers,  and,  we  are  informed,  with 
the  determination  of  making  the  occupation  permanent, 
having  commenced  fortifying  it.  Disaster  upon  disaster 
has  followed  the  Confederate  arms  in  the  Cherokee  coun 
try  and  near  its  borders,  commencing  with  the  battle  of 
Pea  Ridge,  then  Locust  Grove,  Newtonia,  Old  Fort  Wayne, 
Cane  Hill,  Prairie  Grove,  Van  Buren,  and  recently  as  I 
have  stated,  the  Federal  occupation  of  Fort  Gibson.  These 
reverses  and  disasters  following  each  other  in  rapid  suc 
cession  without  any  important  successes  to  our  credit  are 
very  depressing  to  all  of  us,  and  discouraging  and  lower 
the  morale  of  our  troops  everywhere,  particularly  those 
operating  in  the  Indian  country.  And  I  know  it  is  distress- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  221 

ing  to  everyone  here  to  realize  that  we  shall  be  obliged  to 
hold  our  legislative  council  outside  the  limits  of  our  own 
country.  I  am  informed  by  higher  Confederate  authorities 
that  the  Confederate  forces  operating  in  the  Indian  coun 
try  will  not  likely  be  materially  strengthened  until  the 
larger  Federal  forces  under  General  Grant  operating 
against  Vicksburg  shall  determine  the  fate  of  that  strong 
position.  We  hope  that  the  Confederate  commanders  will 
be  able  to  defeat  and  drive  back  the  Federal  forces  of 
Grant  and  throw  a  powerful  Confederate  army  into  Arkan 
sas  under  aggressive  leaders,  and  thus  relieve  our  present 
uncertain  situation.  But  we  must  remember  that  the 
Federal  forces  of  Missouri,  Arkansas  and  Kansas  have 
been  heavily  drawn  upon  to  strengthen  the  forces  operating 
against  Vicksburg,  and  that  we  should  be  able  very  soon, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  Texas  regiments  we  have  had 
with  us,  and  General  CabelPs  brigade  in  Western  Arkan 
sas,  to  attack  and  capture  or  drive  out  the  Federal  force  of 
Indians  and  small  contingent  of  white  soldiers  occupying 
Fort  Gibson,  or  capture  or  destroy  their  supply  trains  and 
starve  them  into  surrendering  by  making  their  position 
untenable.  General  Steele,  commanding  the  Department 
of  the  Indian  Territory,  and  General  Cooper,  commanding 
the  Confederate  forces  in  the  field,  are  collecting  supplies 
at  Northfork,  Perryville  and  Boggy  Depot,  and  reorgan 
izing  our  forces  for  a  vigorous  campaign.  These  forces 
will  be  largely  superior  in  number  to  the  Federal  forces 
occupying  Fort  Gibson,  and  we  must  arouse  ourselves  in 
the  determination  to  attack,  capture  or  destroy,  or  by 
interrupting  their  communication  with  the  North  and  cut 
ting  off  their  supplies,  starve  them  into  surrendering. 
Our  successful  operations  in  this  region  would  hearten  the 
Confederate  forces  in  other  quarters.  I  believe  that  the 
time  is  near  at  hand  when  the  tide  of  success  is  due  to 
return  to  the  Confederate  arms  when  we  shall  be  able 
to  drive  the  Federal  forces  out  of  our  country,  which  will 


222  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

enable  our  people,  many  now  exiles,  to  return  to  their 
country." 

Colonel  Phillips  determined  to  prevent  the  meeting  of 
the  legislative  body,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  24th,  took 
six  hundred  men  from  the  three  Indian  regiments  and  the 
Battalion  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  crossed  the 
Arkansas  River  four  or  five  miles  below  Fort  Gibson,  and 
making  a  night  march  of  nearly  thirty  miles  down  on  the 
south  side,  struck  the  Confederate  force  at  the  Falls  early 
Saturday  morning,  routing  them  and  taking  their  camp 
equipage  and  some  prisoners. 

Coming  at  daybreak,  the  attack  was  a  surprise,  and 
some  of  Colonel  Watie's  men  did  not  have  time  to  dress 
for  the  occasion;  they  fled  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Smith 
and  Northfork,  leaving  their  camp  and  supplies  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  Federal  forces,  firing  only  a  few  minutes 
and  making  only  feeble  efforts  to  rally.  They  were  pur 
sued  only  a  short  distance,  for  the  worn  condition  of  the 
men  and  animals  of  the  expedition  during  the  strenuous 
night  march,  made  it  impracticable  to  continue  the  pur 
suit  further,  besides  the  Arkansas  was  rising  and  was  even 
then  at  the  danger  point  for  fording  at  Webber's  Falls, 
coming  up  well  on  the  sides  of  the  horses  of  the  com 
mand  when  it  crossed  to  the  north  side.  In  this  short  de 
cisive  action  there  were  fifteen  of  the  Southern  Indians 
slain,  including  two  captains,  and  as  many  wounded;  the 
Federal  loss  was  two  killed  and  ten  wounded.  The  cap 
tured  camp  equipage  and  supplies  were  destroyed,  for  it 
was  impossible  to  bring  them  away  on  account  of  the 
swollen  condition  of  the  river  and  the  want  of  transporta 
tion. 

The  most  serious  loss  on  the  Federal  side  was  the 
assassination  of  Dr.  Rufus  Gilpatrick,  an  agent  of  the 
Government  in  an  advisory  capacity,  who  accompanied  the 
Indian  command  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  Indians 
in  the  occupied  territory,  and  whose  advice  was  considered 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  223 

indispensable  by  the  commander  in  the  administration  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Indians  of  that  region.  After  the  action 
was  over  he  was  called  upon  by  an  Indian  woman  to  dress 
the  wound  of  an  Indian  soldier  who  had  fallen  a  hundred 
yards  or  so  from  where  the  pursuit  ended,  and  while  per 
forming  that  service,  he  was  shot  by  a  party  of  Southern 
Indians  who  came  out  of  the  cane.  His  remains  were 
brought  back  by  the  expedition  and  buried  at  Fort  Gibson 
with  military  honors.  He  had  been  identified  with  the 
Free  State  men  in  Kansas  prior  to  the  war,  and  was  well 
known  to  the  leaders  of  that  party  as  one  of  its  most  active 
and  useful  members. 

After  crossing  to  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  at 
Webber's  Falls,  Colonel  Phillips  marched  in  the  direction 
of  Evanjsville  on  the  Arkansas  line  where  his  scouts  re 
ported  there  was  a  Confederate  force  of  one  thousand  men 
under  General  Cabell,  but  which,  on  hearing  of  the  result  of 
the  action  at  Webber's  Falls  and  the  approach  of  eight 
hundred  men  and  a  section  of  artillery  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  F.  W.  Schaurte  of  the  Second  Indian  Regiment 
from  Fort  Gibson,  hastily  retreated  to  Fort  Smith  without 
risking  an  engagement. 

No  information  had  as  yet  been  received  of  the  evacua 
tion  of  Fayetteville  by  Colonel  Harrison,  and  his  co 
operation  in  the  movement  had  for  its  object  the  pursuit 
of  the  Confederate  force  to  Fort  Smith  and  Van  BUren  to 
prevent  the  reorganization  of  the  Southern  forces  which 
Generals  Steele  and  Cabell  were  endeavoring  to  effect.  The 
retirement  of  Colonel  Harrison  to  Cas^ville  left  the  line  of 
communication  of  the  Indian  command  exposed  to  raids 
from  the  enemy  on  the  east  for  nearly  a  hundred  miles 
north. 

In  the  absence  of  Colonel  Phillips  two  Confederate  of 
ficers  came  into  Fort  Gibson  under  a  flag  of  truce  from 
General  Cooper  in  regard  to  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  the 
numbers  of  which  did  not  exceed  a  hundred  or  so  held  by 


224  The  Uion  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

either  side.  The  officers  were  kept  to  their  quarters  until 
the  Colonel's  arrival,  and  when  their  mission  was  finished, 
they  were  conducted  blindfolded  to  the  limits  of  the  camp, 
and  then  furnished  an  escort  to  their  lines  and  treated 
with  the  courtesies  due  them  in  their  official  capacity  as 
commissioners. 

The  evacuation  of  Fayetteville  by  Colonel  Harrison 
was  a  disappointment  to  Colonel  Phillips,  for  there  was  an 
understanding  that  there  would  be  loyal  co-operation  of  the 
forces  there  with  the  Indian  command  in  the  operations  in 
western  Arkansas  and  in  the  Indian  country,  and  wishing 
to  know  whether  there  would  be  any  Federal  forces  operai> 
ing  in  Northwestern  Arkansas  in  the  near  future,  he  sent  a 
Sergeant  and  eight  men  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  with 
dispatches  for  Colonel  Harrison  at  Cassville,  and  the  De 
partment  commander  at  St.  Louis,  with  instructions  to 
bring  back  all  dispatches  and  mail  for  the  Indian  command, 
that  had  been  forwarded  via  Fayetteville.  This  party  of 
dispatch  bearers  was  absent  from  Fort  Gibson  nearly  two 
weeks,  being  obliged  to  wait  at  Cassville,  after  delivering 
to  the  Post  Commander  the  dispatches  and  mail  brought 
up,  for  several  days,  for  dispatches  from  Springfield,  which 
were  delivered  to  headquarters  of  the  Indian  command  on 
the  14th  of  May,  with  a  verbal  report  of  observations  in 
the  territory  passed  over,  which  described  the  political 
situation  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation 
at  that  time.  It  brought  back  information  that  was  of 
some  interest  to  the  Indian  command.  It  disclosed  to  the 
commander  that  Southwest  Missouri  was  occupied  by  Fed 
eral  forces  that  should  be  able  to  afford  protection  to  his 
line  of  communication  as  far  south  as  the  Neosho  River; 
that  Colonel  Harrison  was  at  Cassville  with  the  First 
Arkansas  Cavalry  and  part  of  the  First  Arkansas  Infantry; 
that  Lieutenant-Colonel  T.  T.  Crittenden  was  stationed  at 
Newtonia  with  eight  companies  of  the  Seventh  Missouri 
State  Militia  Cavalry,  and  that  Major  Milton  Burch  was 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War.  225 

at  Neosho  with  a  battalion  of  four  companies  of  the  Eighth 
Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  and  that  these  different 
commands  were  well  mounted,  and  armed,  under  energetic 
officers  who  were  daily  scouting  the  country  in  every 
direction  and  hunting  down  any  guerrilla  bands  venturing 
to  come  within  the  sphere  of  their  operations. 

Lieutenant  John  R.  Kelso  of  Major  Burch's  command 
at  Neosho,  was  known  in  Southwest  Missouri  as  one  of  the 
most  fearless  and  successful  fighters  of  Southern  bandits 
to  be  found  in  all  that  region.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  take 
two  or  three  to  half  a  dozen  men  and  start  out  afoot  at 
night  and  seek  the  bandits  in  their  dens  in  the  hills  and 
engage  them  in  hand  to  hand  conflicts.  He  was  without 
fear  and  a  genius  in  many  respects  and  like  a  tiger  in  his 
war-like  activities.  The  stories  of  his  fearless  operations 
against  Southern  bandits  were  familiar  to  nearly  every 
family  in  Southwest  Missouri. 

In  its  march  of  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  the  party  of  dispatch  bearers  passed  over  a  good 
deal  of  desolate  country,  country  in  which  many  of  the 
houses  were  unoccupied  fields  untilled  and  growing  up  in 
grass  and  weeds,  and  roads  dim  and  unused  and  washed 
out  in  many  places;  it  found  that  very  few  of  the  Indian 
families  had  returned  to  their  homes,  and  those  that  had 
returned  had  not  heard  of  an  enemy  in  that  section  for 
some  time.  A  day's  march  was  sometimes  made  without 
seeing  any  Indians  about  their  homes  or  in  the  fields. 

There  being  no  Federal  force  holding  a  position  in 
Western  Arkansas,  or  in  the  larger  area  of  the  Cherokee 
Nation  east  of  Grand  River  and  north  of  Fort  Gibson, 
since  Colonel  Harrison's  retirement  to  Cassville,  made  it  a 
region  over  which  the  Confederate  forces  could  march 
almost  at  will  and  be  a  constant  menace  to  the  supply 
trains  of  the  Indian  command  coming  down  from  Fort 
Scott. 


226  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Cwil  War. 

CHAPTER  XIII 
KEEPING  THE  BREAD  LINE  OPEN 

The  last  train  from  the  north  brought  down  clothing, 
arms  and  ammunition  for  the  Indian  command,  which  were 
issued  to  the  men  on  the  approved  requisitions  of  the  regi 
mental  and  battalion  commanders.  There  was  a  marked 
difference  in  appearance  between  the  Indian  and  white  sol 
diers  when  dressed  in  the  new  uniform.  What  was  known 
at  that  time  as  the  "Hancock  Hat"  was  issued  to  the  Indian 
soldiers,  while  the  white  soldiers  generally  wore  the  regu 
lation  cap.  The  Indian  mounts  were  nearly  all  ponies. 
Care  was  not  taken  to  see  to  it  that  the  clothing  issued  to 
the  Indian  soldiers  fitted  them  properly.  The  pants  legs 
were  frequently  too  short  or  too  long,  and  the  coat  rarely 
ever  fitted  as  a  white  soldier  would  have  insisted  that  it 
should,  giving  the  Indian  soldiers  a  comical  appearance, 
mounted  on  their  ponies  with  badly  fitted  clothing,  and 
wearing  "Hancock  Hats,"  with  their  long  black  hair  fall 
ing  over  their  shoulders,  and  legs  astride  their  mounts  con 
ing  down  near  the  ground. 

But  the  comical  appearance  of  the  Indian  soldiers  did 
not  prevent  them  from  shooting  straight  when  skirmishing 
with  the  foe  and  he  was  within  the  range  of  their  long- 
barrel  rifles.  They  were  in  their  element  when  they 
were  able  to  engage  the  enemy  in  the  brush  and  timber 
where  they  could  screen  themselves  behind  trees  and  logs 
and  take  deliberate  aim. 

On  the  first  of  May,  after  issuing  the  new  clothing  to 
the  troops,  Colonel  Phillips  held  a  review  of  the  Indian 
command  at  Fort  Gibson  on  the  sloping  ground  southeast 
of  the  fortifications  on  the  bluff,  and  while  the  Indian  sol 
diers  in  passing  the  reviewing  stand  did  not  exhibit  that 
precision  of  movement,  step  and  alignment  seen  in  regular 
soldiers,  they  acquitted  themselves  well  and  showed  by 
their  enthusiasm  that  they  were  an  effective  fighting  force 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War  227 

under  good  control;  it  also  showed  that  the  successful 
operations  in  which  they  had  participated  strengthened 
their  confidence  in  the  Government  and  its  power  to  aid 
them.  There  were  more  than  2,000  men  in  line  in  the 
review. 

After  the  review  the  program  included  an  address  by 
Colonel  Phillips,  which  was  arranged  for  the  troops  to  hear. 
In  his  address  he  briefly  reviewed  the  operations  of  the 
Indian  Brigade  since  it  had  become  an  independent  com 
mand  under  his  guidance.  He  stated  he  had  successfully 
led  his  troops  to  Fort  Gibson,  which  was  the  objective  of 
the  campaign  until  large  re-enforcements  arrived  to  carry 
operations  south  of  the  Arkansas  River;  that  the  time  of 
arrival  of  the  re-enforcements  might  depend  upon  the 
success  of  military  operations  elsewhere,  but  that  he  did 
not  believe  General  Blunt,  commanding  the  Department  of 
Kansas,  which  included  the  Indian  Territory,  would  allow 
the  Indian  command  to  be  imperiled;  that  he  was  giving 
it  close  attention;  that  the  evacuation  of  Fayetteville  by 
Colonel  Harrison  was  making  it  more  difficult  to  hold  Fort 
Gibson,  since  the  enemy  were  occupying  Western  Arkan 
sas,  and  preparing  to  send  raiding  forces  north  through 
the  Cherokee  Nation  to  menace  his  trains  coming  down 
from  the  north;  that  the  Confederate  Indian  and  Texas 
forces  of  Generals  Steele  and  Cooper  had  reorganized  and 
moved  up  to  within  five  or  six  miles  of  his  position,  and 
that  some  of  their  movements  could  be  seen  from  the 
roof  of  the  buildings  on  the  bluff,  while  picket  firing  be 
tween  the  opposing  pickets  was  of  daily  occurrence  over 
the  Arkansas  River,  as  they  all  knew  and  could  sometimes 
hear  from  the  camp. 

He  also  endeavored  to  impress  upon  the  people  and  the 
soldiers  the  importance  of  exercising  the  greatest  vigilance 
to  prevent  surprise  by  the  enemy,  which  might  imperil  the 
safety  of  the  command;  that  hitherto  his  troops  had  been 
doing  all  the  striking,  but  in  the  future  they  should  be 


228  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

prepared  for  receiving  return  blows,  which  might  fall  at 
almost  any  moment  all  of  which  was  received  with  ex 
pressions  of  approval. 

There  was  heavy  timber  on  both  sides  of  the  Arkan 
sas  below  the  mouth  of  Grand  River,  and  many  fallen  trees 
which  afforded  good  protection  to  the  pickets  of  both  sides, 
very  few  of  whom  exposed  themselves  to  the  point  blank 
range  of  the  rifles  then  in  use.  The  river  was  fully  half 
a  mile  wide  from  bank  to  bank,  and  the  Sharp's  carbines 
of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  the  best  cavalry  arm  then 
in  use,  even  with  raised  sight,  was  not  always  effective 
at  that  distance. 

In  some  instances  the  pickets  of  each  side  came  down 
to  the  water's  edge  of  the  river  and  took  deliberate  aim  at 
each  other,  which  resulted  in  some  casualties.  Later  the 
pickets  communicated  with  each  other  and  declared  a  truce 
and  came  down  to  the  river  and  talked  with  each  other 
from  a  sandbar  to  the  opposite  shore;  they  then  went  in 
swimming,  each  party  keeping  to  their  own  side  of  the 
river,  near  enough,  however,  on  several  occasions  for  the 
Confederates  to  exchange  tobacco  with  the  Federal  sol 
diers  for  coffee,  which  was  not  then  issued  to  the  Confed 
erate  forces  in  the  west.  Several  substitutes,  however, 
were  used  in  the  Confederate  army  and  by  the  Southern 
people. 

When  the  firing  of  the  Confederate  pickets  and  out 
posts  along  the  Arkansas  River  was  unusually  heavy  in  the 
Federal  front,  as  if  preparations  were  being  made  to  cross 
the  river,  it  was  interpreted  by  the  Federal  commander  as 
a  demonstration  to  occupy  his  attention  while  Confederate 
forces  were  crossing  the  river  above  and  below  Fort  Gib 
son  and  marching  north  to  attack  and  capture  the  Federal 
supply  train  coming  down  from  Fort  Scott  on  the  old  Mili 
tary  Road. 

From  the  best  information  obtainable,  Colonel  Phillips 
was  led  to  believe  that  General  Cooper  had  in  his  front 
a  force  of  about  five  thousand  Texans  and  Indians,  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  229 

two  batteries,  which  made  his  strength  superior  to  that 
of  the  Indian  command,  and  being  very  mobile  would  en 
able  him  to  use  it  effectively  in  making  the  Federal  posi 
tion  at  Fort  Gibson  untenable  by  interrupting  its  communi 
cation  with  the  north. 

In  holding  Fort  Gibson  Colonel  Phillips  had  not  only 
this  large  force  of  Generals  Steele  and  Cooper  in  his  front 
to  reckon  with,  but  he  also  had  the  force  of  General  Cabell 
of  not  less  than  two  or  three  thousand  men  and  a  battery 
of  light  artillery,  in  Western  Arkansas,  who  was  not  em 
barrassed  by  a  large  river  to  cross,  to  menace  his  flank  on 
the  east.  General  Cabell's  command  was  mounted  and 
could  easily  strike  the  Federal  train  escort  in  a  day  and 
night's  march. 

When  these  conditions  were  beginning  to  develop, 
Colonel  Phillips  determined  to  make  every  effort  to  hasten 
his  supply  trains  from  the  north  to  bring  down  from  a 
month  to  six  weeks'  supplies  for  his  troops  and  store  them 
in  the  Government  buildings  inside  of  the  fortifications, 
which  would  enable  him  to  stand  a  siege  for  at  least  a 
month,  by  which  time  he  would  have  re-enforcements  suf 
ficient  to  drive  the  enemy  from  his  front  and  flankjs. 

He  felt  confident  that  with  his  fortifications  nearly  com 
plete,  and  conditions  did  not  require  him  to  furnish  large 
details  of  his  troops  for  escort  duty  to  trains,  he  could 
hold  the  place  against  more  than  ten  thousand  of  the 
enemy;  but  to  do  so  and  save  his  stock  he  would  be 
obliged  to  keep  the  Southern  forces  off  a  distance  of  at 
least  five  or  six  miles  in  order  to  allow  the  public  animals 
of  his  command  to  graze  on  the  range,  which  they  were 
doing  every  day  by  being  sent  out  every  morning  under 
strong  guards. 

Scouts  sent  out  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy 
reported  considerable  activity  in  their  camp  on  the  16th, 
and  observers  on  the  roof  of  the  Government  building  on 
the  bluff  reported  clouds  of  dust  from  mounted  troops 
marching  on  the  roads  near  the  Confederate  camp  south 


230  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

of  Fort  Gibson,  showing  that  General  Cooper  was  engaged 
in  a  movement  that  had  for  its  object  the  capture  of  the 
Federal  supply  train,  due  in  a  few  days,  or  an  attack  on 
the  Indian  command  at  Fort  Gibson,  or  a  demonstration 
against  it  that  would  prevent  it  from  re-enforcing  the 
escort  to  the  train. 

On  the  18th  a  force  of  four  hundred  mounted  men 
were  sent  out  from  Fort  Gibson  on  a  reconnaissance  in  the 
direction  of  the  Creek  Agency,  south  of  the  Arkansas 
River,  to  ascertain  the  movements  of  the  enemy  in  that 
quarter,  and  captured  and  brought  in  sixty  head  of  horses 
and  mules  from  General  Cooper's  command,  and  informa 
tion  derived  from  a  prisoner  and  friendly  Creeks  was  to 
the  effect  that  General  Cooper  was  preparing  a  heavy 
force  to  march  up  on  the  west  side  of  Grand  River  to 
capture  the  Federal  supply  train  which  he  had  ascertained 
was  coming  down  from  the  north. 

There  was  considerable  maneuvering  on  both  sides; 
General  Cooper  desired  by  making  a  strong  demonstration 
against  Fort  Gibson  to  compel  Colonel  Phillips  to  hold  his 
forces  there  for  the  defense  of  that  place  and  prevent  him 
from  re-inforcing  his  troops  guarding  his  supply  trains. 
He  also  ordered  a  section  of  his  artillery,  supported  by 
troops,  to  the  south  bank  of  the  river  below  Fort  Gibson, 
to  shell  the  Federal  outposts  guarding  the  fords,  and 
maneuvered  to  create  the  impression  that  he  was  prepar 
ing  to  cross  the  river  to  attack  the  Federal  forces  in  their 
position  at  Fort  Gibson,  while  at  the  same  time  he  was 
sending  a  larger  force  from  five  regiments  of  Texans  and 
Indians  to  cross  the  river  near  Webber's  Falls  march  up 
on  the  north  side  and  attack  Colonel  Phillip,s'  left  flank, 
hoping  by  a  rapid  movement  and  night  march  to  take  the 
Federal  forces  by  surprise. 

In  sending  out  the  stock  to  graze  every  morning,  it 
had  been  necessary  to  drive  the  herds  a  little  further  from 
camp  each  day  in  order  to  get  better  grass  than  that 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War.  23 1 

which  had  been  grazed  over  the  day  before,  until  they 
were  being  driven  out  a  distance  of  about  three  miles,  30 
that  the  enemy,  by  capturing  and  killing  the  pickets  on 
the  roads  on  which  they  were  approaching,  were  able  to 
raid  and  capture  some  of  the  herds  before  the  herders 
knew  of  the  presence  of  a  hostile  force.  As  there  were 
shots  fired  between  the  pickets  and  herders  and  the  enemy, 
the  alarm  was  at  once  given  to  the  other  herders  to  drive 
their  herds  back  to  camp,  and  the  pickets  who  had  not 
been  captured  hurried  in  to  give  the  alarm  and  report  the 
situation  to  headquarters  so  that  re-inforcement  might  be 
immediately  sent  to  the  assistance  of  the  pickets  and 
herders  not  captured. 

The  presence  of  the  enemy  Ivithin  two  or  three  miles 
of  the  fort,  and  his  probable  advance  to  make  an  imme 
diate  attack,  rapidly  spread  throughout  the  camp  and 
caused  a  good  deal  of  excitement  among  the  soldiers  and 
people.  On  the  arrival  of  the  pickets  and  herders  who  had 
not  been  cut  off  by  the  enemy,  the  bugles  sounded  the 
alarm  and  the  troops  at  the  fort  were  under  arms  in  a 
few  moments,  but  mostly  dismounted,  for  their  horses 
had  been  sent  out  with  the  herds  early  that  morning. 

Colonel  Phillips  directed  Majors  Foreman,  Wright  and 
Pomeroy  and  Captain  Lucas,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  to 
take  the  men  that  could  be  mounted  at  the  post  and  move 
out  at  once  to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  and  if 
possible,  recapture  some  of  the  stock  that  had  been  driven 
off.  After  passing  the  open  ground  for  nearly  a  mile  east 
of  the  post,  this  Federal  mounted  force  came  in  sight  of 
the  enemy,  who  were  forming  in  line  in  the  timber  on  the 
western  slope  of  the  mountain. 

The  hostile  forces  were  now  face  to  face  with  each 
other,  and  a  brisk  fire  was  opened  by  the  opposing  lines, 
which  developed  the  fact  that  the  Confederates  were  pre 
paring  to  turn  the  flanks  of  the  Federal  Cavalry,  which 
compelled  it  to  retire  some  distance,  and  it  looked  for  a 


232  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

time  as  if  it  might  be  driven  back  to  the  fortifications,  or 
until  it  came  within  range  of  the  artillery  at  the  post. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  a  number  of  herds  had 
been  driven  in  to  the  post,  and  as  fast  as  the  troops  could 
be  mounted,  they  were  sent  forward  to  re-inforce  those 
at  the  front,  while  the  dismounted  men  were  ordered  out 
as  infantry,  well  supplied  with  ammunition,  and  with  a 
section  of  Captain  Hopkins'  Battery  under  Lieutenant  Bas- 
sett,  moved  forward  to  the  support  of  the  cavalry  under 
the  immediate  command  of  Colonel  Phillips. 

As  he  did  not  know  the  strength  of  the  hostile  force 
in  his  front,  and  to  be  ready  for  any  contingency,  he  or 
dered  everything  inside  of  the  fortification  at  the  post. 
On  arriving  at  the  front  and  ascertaining  from  his  skirm 
ishers  the  position  of  the  enemy  he  directed  Lieutenant 
Bassett  to  open  upon  them  with  shell,  which  he  did  effec 
tively,  and  with  his  cavalry  re-inforced,  he  ordered  an  ad 
vance  on  his  left,  and  with  the  assistance  of  his  artillery, 
drove  the  enemy  from  their  position  in  the  timber  and 
gradually  pushed  them  back  over  the  mountain,  recaptur 
ing  part  of  the  stock  that  had  been  taken  in  the  morning. 

Most  of  the  Confederate  force  was  Choctaw  and 
Chickasaw  Indians,  and  when  Lieutenant  Bassett's  section 
of  the  Battery  got  their  range  in  the  brush  and  timber, 
and  landed  a  shell  in  their  midst,  killing  and  wounding  half 
a  dozen  or  more,  the  rest  fled  in  a  panic  and  could  not  be 
effectively  rallied  in  the  further  operations  of  the  day. 

The  Federal  cavalry  kept  up  the  pursuit  beyond  Green- 
leaf  Prairie,  ten  miles  southeast  of  the  post  in  the 
direction  of  Webber's  Falls,  frequently  charging  and  keep 
ing  up  an  almost  continuous  fire,  to  which  their  rear  was 
exposed,  recapturing  more  of  the  stock  which  had  been 
taken  in  the  raid. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  action  Captain  Lucas,  Sixth 
Kansas  and  Captain  Anderson,  Third  Indian  Regiment, 
were  nearly  surrounded,  but  gallantly  fought  their  way  out 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  233 

and  participated  in  the  operations  to  the  close  of  the  day, 
which  were  highly  creditable  to  the  Indian  command  and 
its  commander  in  achieving  a  substantial  success  with  the 
small  loss  of  twenty  killed  and  a  few  men  wounded. 

While  Colonel  Phillips  was  pursuing  the  retreating 
Confederates  up  the  mountain,  he  received  information 
that  General  Cooper  had  sent  the  captain  of  his  battery 
of  three  guns  down  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Arkansas 
River  opposite  the  Federal  outpost  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  river,  three  miles  south  of  Fort  Gibson,  and  was  heavily 
cannonading  it  to  cover  the  crossing  of  a  large  infantry 
force  which  had  been  brought  down,  and  which  were  de 
signed  to  march  up  and  attack  the  Federal  troops  left  in 
the  camp.  This  movement,  however,  was  intended  to  at 
tract  the  attention  of  the  Federal  commander  and  have 
him  recall  his  troops  in  pursuit  of  the  raiders. 

In  starting  out  to  engage  the  enemy  in  the  morning, 
Colonel  Phillips  had  left  Colonel  Dole  in  command  of  six  or 
seven  hundred  Indian  soldiers,  dismounted,  and  a  section  of 
Hopkins'  Battery  which  moved  inside  of  the  fortifications, 
and  he  then  believed  that  this  force  would  be  sufficient  to 
defend  the  post  against  any  force  General  Cooper  would  be 
able  to  bring  over.  He  found,  however,  that  the  enemy 
troops  he  had  been  engaging  were  nearly  all  Indians,  and 
that  General  Cooper  was  holding  practically  all  the  white 
troops,  three  or  four  Texas  regiments,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  three  or  four  miles  from  Fort  Gibson,  for 
some  purpose,  possibly  to  attack  the  force  left  in  camp. 

He  therefore  determined  to  leave  his  mounted  force 
to  continue  the  pursuit  of  the  retreating  enemy  in  the 
direction  of  Webber's  Falls,  and  to  take  the  two  battalions 
of  infantry  and  the  section  of  artillery  and  march  down 
to  the  river  opposite  to  the  position  of  the  Confederate 
battery  and  open  fire  upon  it  and  endeavor  to  develop  the 
intentions  of  the  Confederates,  as  they  could  be  seen  in 
considerable  numbers. 


234  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

After  engaging  the  Confederate  pieces  for  some  time 
in  the  hope  of  dismounting  them,  they  withdrew,  and  being 
convinced  that  General  Cooper's  movement  at  that  point 
was  a  demonstration  that  had  for  its  object  the  keeping 
of  the  Federal  forces  near  their  fortifications,  which  would 
give  the  Southern  forces  north  of  the  river  a  wider  range 
of  operations,  Colonel  Phillips  returned  in  the  evening  to 
Fort  Gibson  to  prepare  for  more  strenuous  work  if  it 
should  become  necessary. 

The  next  day  after  these  operations  the  first  part  of 
the  supply  train  and  the  Paymaster  arrived  from  Fort 
Scott  escorted  by  a  force  of  seven  or  eight  hundred  Indian 
soldiers  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Schauerte,  Second  Indian 
Regiment.  Colonel  Schauerte  met  the  train  at  Baxter 
Springs  and  brought  it  through  without  meeting  or  hear 
ing  of  any  Confederate  force  sent  out  to  attack  it.  The 
refugee  train  which  had  also  been  re-inforced,  arrived  safe 
ly  from  Tahlequah  and  Parkhill  with  sick  and  convalescent ; 
some  smallpox  convalescent  who  had  been  left  there  were 
also  brought  in. 

On  the  return  of  his  expedition  from  the  north  side 
of  the  Arkansas  to  test  the  fighing  spirit  of  the  soldiers  of 
the  Indian  Brigade  at  Fort  Gibson,  General  Cooper  held  a 
council  of  war  of  the  principal  officers  of  his  command 
to  formulate  plans  for  immediate  future  operations,  a  coun 
cil  at  which  the  officers  present  would  give  their  views  in 
regard  to  the  best  methods  of  achieving  success  for  the 
cause  for  which  they  were  fighting  and  had  so  much  at 
heart. 

Colonel  D.  N.  Mclntosh,  the  senior  officer  in  command 
of  the  expedition  just  returned,  spoke  briefly,  and  regretted 
that  it  had  not  accomplished  all  that  he  had  hoped  for, 
but  stated  that  it  had  accomplished  something  worth 
while.  It  had  crossed  a  large  river  barely  fordable,  sur 
prised  and  killed  or  captured  the  enemy  pickets,  and  ap 
proached  within  a  mile  of  the  enemy  fortifications  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  235 

drew  his  fire,  and  drove  back  his  attacking  force  until  re 
inforced  by  infantry  and  artillery,  and  that  when  obliged 
to  retire,  brought  away  upwards  of  a  hundred  head  of  cap 
tured  horses  and  mules,  sustaining  only  a  small  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded. 

When  all  had  spoken  who  desired  to  speak,  General 
Cooper  addressed  the  council.  He  thanked  them  for  their 
loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  South;  that  by 
their  heroic  efforts  and  fortitude  the  Confederate  armies 
of  the  East  were  everywhere  successful  and  the  Northern 
armies  on  the  defensive ;  that  his  command  was  superior  in 
strength  to  the  Federal  command  at  Fort  Gibson;  that  his 
troops  could  probably  take  the  place  by  assault,  but  that 
he  considered  that  would  entail  too  great  a  loss  of  life  when 
by  siege  operations  the  same  end  could  be  accomplished; 
that  General  Cabell  commanding  the  Confederate  forces  in 
Western  Arkansas,  was  under  instructions  to  co-operate 
with  the  commander  of  the  Confederate  forces  in  the  In 
dian  country,  in  all  operations  against  the  Federal  troops 
occupying  Fort  Gibson,  and  would  see  to  it  that  re-inforce- 
ments  should  not  reach  them  through  Western  Arkansas 
or  the  eastern  part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation ;  that  the  forces 
under  his  immediate  command  must  be  so  disposed  as  to 
prevent  Federal  re-inforcements  and  supply  trains  for  Fort 
Gibson  from  coming  down  on  the  west  side  of  Grand  River, 
and  that  with  the  loyal  co-operation  of  his  officers  their 
efforts  were  certain  to  be  crowned  with  success;  that  he 
was  regularly  and  correctly  advised  by  scouts  and  couriers 
from  Major  Livingston  in  the  vicinity  of  Baxter  Springs, 
of  the  movements  of  all  supply  trains  and  the  strength  of 
their  escorts,  from  the  time  of  their  departure  from  Fort 
Scott  until  their  arrival  at  Fort  Gibson;  that  part  of  a 
train  had  just  slipped  into  Fort  Gibson  under  a  strong 
escort,  but  that  the  main  part  of  it  was  back  several  days 
drive,  then  probably  at  Cabin  Creek,  and  that  it  was  his 
purpose,  and  he  had  already  made  the  order,  for  Colonel 


236  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Watie  to  take  a  mounted  force  of  upwards  of  a  thuosand 
men  and  cross  the  Arkansas  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ver 
digris  and  march  north  "until  he  met  the  train,  and  then 
to  attack  and  disperse  the  escort  and  capture  or  destroy 
the  train. 

The  daily  cannonading  of  the  Federal  picket  stations 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Arkansas  below  Fort  Gibson  by 
the  Confederate  artillery  did  not  deceive  Colonel  Phillips 
as  to  its  purpose.  He  was  convinced  it  was  intended  to 
conceal  other  movements  General  Cooper  had  in  progress 
relating  to  the  capture  or  destruction  of  the  approaching 
train.  His  scouts  brought  in  information  to  Fort  Gibson 
on  the  22d,  that  a  large  Confederate  force  had  crossed 
the  Arkansas  above  the  mouth  of  the  Verdigris  River 
marching  north,  leaving  no  doubt  but  that  a  tremendous 
effort  was  being  made  to  capture  the  train. 

On  the  23d  observers  on  the  roof  of  the  Government 
building  on  the  bluff  reported  seeing  clouds  of  dust, 
made  by  moving  mounted  troops,  hanging  over  the  roads  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Confederate  camp  south  of  the  river, 
showing  unusual  activity,  and  scouts  and  Indian  women 
who  had  been  watching  the  movements  of  the  Southern 
forces  came  into  Fort  Gibson  and  reported  that  General 
Cooper  was  sending  out  a  large  body  of  troops  north  of  the 
Arkansas  and  east  of  Grand  River  to  co-operate  with  the 
force  sent  north  on  the  west  side  of  that  stream. 

Believing  that  General  Cooper's  force  in  camp  would 
be  depleted  to  the  danger  point  by  the  large  forces  he  had 
sent  out  and  was  sending  out,  Colonel  Phillips  determined 
to  make  a  strong  feint  at  the  Rocky  Ford  of  the  Arkansas, 
four  or  five  miles  below  Fort  Gibson,  and  f pr  that  purpose, 
Sunday  afternoon  of  the  24th,  took  five  hundred  Indian 
and  white  soldiers  and  a  section  of  Hopkins'  Battery  down 
to  the  river  and  opened  fire  with  shot  and  shell  from  his 
two  guns  upon  the  Confederate  picket  station  on  the  south 
side,  and  quickly  sent  the  men  on  guard  scurrying  to 
shelter  behind  trees  and  logs.  That  ford  was  the  nearest 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  237 

point  to  the  Confederate  camp,  which  was  about  two  miles 
south  of  it;  the  channel  of  the  river  at  the  ford  was  on 
the  south  side,  and  on  the  north  jside  an  extensive  sand  bar 
sloped  down  to  the  water's  edge.  After  searching  every 
square  rod  of  ground  with  shot  and  shell  for  some  distance 
above  and  below  the  ford  for  more  than  half  an  hour  the 
Colonel  at  the  head  of  his  men  marched  down  over  the 
sand  bar  and  entered  the  stream  and  when  about  midway 
with  the  water  running  up  on  the  sides  of  his  horses, 
halted  for  a  .short  time,  having  left  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men  on  the  bar  to  watch  out  for  the  appearance  of 
any  Confederates  who  might  have  kept  concealed  until  a 
favorable  opportunity  was  presented  for  firing  upon  the 
head  of  the  column. 

While  the  troops  were  marching  and  counter-marching 
in  the  river  and  on  the  bar,  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
random  firing  on  both  sides,  but  the  Confederates  did  not 
come  near  enough  to  the  bank  to  get  a  view  of  the  sol 
diers  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  and  their  fire  was  in 
effective;  no  damage  was  done. 

Confederates  who  had  posted  themselves  so  that  they 
could  watch  the  movement  of  the  troops,  on  seeing  them 
advance  to  the  middle  of  the  river,  hastened  back  to  camp 
and  reported  that  a  crossing  was  being  effected,  which 
caused  intense  excitement  and  preparations  to  meet  an 
immediate  attack.  Other  messengers  arrived  in  camp  re 
ported  that  the  Federal  force  had  not  crossed  the  river, 
but  was  still  maneuvering  to  test  the  strength  of  the  out 
post;  General  Cooper  at  once  re-inforced  it  with  all  the 
troops  he  could  spare. 

Artillery  firing  at  the  ford  all  the  afternoon  was 
heard  for  a  distance  of  fifteen  to  twenty  miles,  and  when 
General  Cooper  recalled  Old  Fort  Wayne,  he  was  reminded 
that  the  Federal  soldiers  were  capable  of  performing  some 
very  daring  acts  and  might  attempt  to  capture  his  camp 


238  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

in  the  absence  of  most  of  his  troops.  He  therefore  made 
preparations  to  meet  an  attack  at  any  moment,  day  or 
night. 

The  reconnaissance  returned  to  the  post  at  dark,  and 
with  everything  inside  the  fortifications,  Colonel  Phillips 
took  out  that  night  nearly  all  his  available  mounted  and 
dismounted  men  to  meet  and  re-inforce  the  escort  to  the 
train,  which  he  believed  would  be  attacked  that  night  or 
early  the  next  morning. 

After  leaving  Cabin  Creek  the  escort  and  train  made 
night  marches,  and  stopped  to  feed  and  rest  during  the 
day,  for  the  train  could  be  defended  during  the  night  as 
well  as  during  the  day,  a  movement  that  might  throw  the 
enemy  off  his  guard  in  locating  it.  The  wagonmasters 
were  instructed  that  if  the  enemy  were  sighted  to  drive  the 
teams  two  abreast  as  far  as  the  road  would  permit,  to 
shorten  the  length  of  the  train,  which  had  about  two  hun 
dred  wagons  in  it  and  stretched  out  a  distance  of  more 
than  a  mile,  even  by  this  formation. 

There  were  about  one  thousand  white  and  Indian  sol 
diers  in  the  force  that  Colonel  Phillips  marched  out  with 
from  the  post  to  re-inforce  the  escort  to  the  train  and  he 
formed  a  junction  with  it  about  ten  miles  out  on  the  Mili 
tary  Road,  and  found  all  moving  along  briskly  in  the  still 
ness  of  the  night  with  teams  well  closed  up,  without  any 
excitement  and  apparently  unconscious  of  the  nearness 
of  the  enemy,  but  prepared  for  instant  action  should  an 
attack  be  made.  On  marching  out  to  meet  the  train  his 
attention  was  called  to  fresh  enemy  trails  where  the 
prairie  grass  had  been  tramped  down  by  horses  feet,  show 
ing  that  the  Confederates  were  somewhere  near  the  road 
in  position  ready  to  make  the  attack  on  the  approach  of  the 
train,  which  their  scouts  had  been  eagerly  watching  for 
since  the  early  part  of  the  night.  From  information 
brought  him  by  his  scouts  the  Colonel  was  convinced  that 
there  was  a  Confederate  force  on  each  side  of  the  road, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  239 

and  that  an  attack  would  certainly  be  made  before  day 
light,  and  as  the  road  was  over  open  prairie  to  within  three 
or  four  miles  of  Fort  Gibson,  and  in  places  less  than  a 
mile  from  the  timber  on  Grand  River  on  his  left,  he  exer 
cised  caution  to  guard  against  a  surprise.    He  directed  that 
his  troops  be  distributed  so  as  to  march  on  each  side  of  the 
moving  train,  with  strong  advance  and  rear  guards    with 
skirmishers  kept  out  half  a  mile  on  each  side  of  the  road, 
with  instructions  to  fire  signals  on  sighting  the  enemy. 
Even  with  this  precaution  it  was  possible  for  the  Con 
federates  to  wait  concealed  behind  the  crest  of  a  ridge  in 
the  prairie  until  the  skirmishers  were  almost  upon  them, 
within  rifle  range  of  them,  but  in  this  order  the  train  and 
escort  moved  on  until  about  an  hour  before  day-break, 
when  approaching  the  timber  on  Grand  River,  about  five 
miles  northwest  of  the  post,  the  report  of  a  rifle  shot  was 
heard  above  the  rumbling  of  the  wagons,  by  the  marching 
troops  in  the  direction  of  the  skirmishers  on  the  right,  and 
in  another  moment  the  reports  of  several  shots,  when  the 
skirmishers  fell  back  upon  the  advance  and  main  column, 
and  reported  the  enemy  advancing  in  heavy  force. 

The  teams  were  moving  two  abreast  where  it  was 
practicable,  and  the  troops  so  disposed  as  to  keep  the  road 
opened  and  to  meet  the  attack  without  confusion.  There 
were  ridges  in  the  prairie,  and  the  advancing  Confederates 
passing  the  sky-lines  made  good  targets  for  the  Federal 
soldiers  who  were  on  lower  ground  enveloped  in  darkness. 
Part  of  the  Federal  troops  were  dismounted  and  fought  as 
infantry,  and  on  seeing  an  advancing  line  of  Confederates, 
fell  upon  the  ground  and  could  not  be  seen  by  the  foe  until 
the  flashes  from  their  rifles  disclosed  their  positions. 

A  volley  from  three  or  four  hundred  troops  lying  down 
in  line  a  distance  of  three  or  four  hundred  yards  and 
watching  every  movement  of  the  advancing  foe  until  the 
order  was  given  to  fire,  would  likely  break  the  line  of  well 
drilled  troops,  and  broke  the  line  of  the  enemy  every  time 
they  advanced  against  the  Federal  soldiers  that  morning, 
formed  in  that  manner. 


240  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

The  mounted  troops  defending  the  train  also  acted  in 
a  gallant  manner.  They  stood  with  their  backs  to  the 
train,  and  when  the  Confederates  advanced  within  range 
of  their  rifles  and  carbines,  delivered  their  fire  and  kept  it 
up  until  the  enemy  turned,  and  then  pursued  them  until 
they  disappeared  in  the  darkness  behind  intervening 
ridges. 

Having  defeated  every  effort  of  the  enemy  to  break 
any  part  of  his  line  after  nearly  an  hour's  fighting,  Colonel 
Phillips  determined  to  take  the  offensive,  and  ordered 
his  mounted  troops  to  charge,  which  they  did  in  fine  style, 
routing  the  Confederates  and  pursuing  them  almost  to  the 
Verdigris  River,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  wagon  and 
team  of  the  train,  and  with  the  loss  of  only  one  sutler 
wagon  load  of  goods,  the  team  having  fallen  far  in  the 
rear,  and  through  fright  of  the  teamster,  was  abandoned 
and  found  by  the  enemy  and  the  goods  taken. 

The  train  and  the  part  of  the  escort  which  had  not  en 
gaged  in  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy  arrived  at  the  post  on 
fhe  west  side  of  Grand  River  at  sunrise  and  were  ferried 
over  during  the  day,  ending  the  suspense  and  anxiety  that 
had  filled  the  minds  of  soldiers  and  people  the  last  week. 

General  Cooper  does  not  appear  to  have  made  a  report 
of  this  movement;  but  as  nearly  as  could  be  ascertained, 
there  were  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  Texas  and 
Indian  mounted  troops  employed  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Watie,  and  they  left  twenty-six  men  dead  on  the 
ground  fought  over.  Nearly  two  wagon  loads  of  these  were 
gathered  up  during  the  day  and  brought  into  the  post  for 
burial;  the  Federal  loss  was  seven  killed  and  twenty-five 
wounded.  The  Union  Indians  were  much  elated  and  proud 
of  their  success  in  the  affair. 

The  supplies  brought  down  by  the  train  were  suffi 
cient  to  last  the  Indian  command  for  a  month,  provided  the 
commander  of  that  Military  District,  Colonel  Phillips, 
would  not  feel  obliged  to  use  part  of  them  to  feed  the 


The  Unirn  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  241 

refugee  Indians  who  had  gathered  about  the  post  in  con 
siderable  numbers  on  account  of  fear  of  staying  at  their 
homes  when  enemy  raiding  parties  were  in  the  country. 

An  intelligent  negro  man  of  the  Indian  command  who 
was  captured  by  the  Southern  forces  in  the  raid  on  the 
stock  grazing  near  the  post  on  the  20th,  and  who  escaped 
and  returned,  stated,  on  being  interviewed,  that  the  Con 
federates  claimed  to  have  six  thousand  men  in  their  camp 
south  of  the  river;  that  they  were  very  much  elated  over 
their  success  in  capturing  the  stock,  but  sorely  disappointed 
in  the  failure  of  the  expedition  to  capture  the  commissary 
train ;  that  the  white  officers  quizzed  him  a  good  deal  about 
the  strength  of  the  Indian  command,  and  wished  to  know 
the  number  of  white  troops  with  it  and  the  equipment ;  the 
nature  of  the  fortifications,  and  whether  the  troops  had 
supplies  and  ammunition  for  a  siege;  whether  there  was 
dissatisfaction  among  the  troops,  and  whether  re-enforce 
ments  were  looked  for  in  the  near  future.  He  stated  also 
that  he  had  claimed  to  them  he  was  a  white  officer's 
servant  and  had  frequently  accompanied  the  troops  on  ex 
peditions,  and  seeming  to  think  that  he  had  been  in  a  posi 
tion  to  possess  valuable  information,  questioned  him  on  dif 
ferent  points  nearly  every  day  he  was  a  prisoner;  that  he 
had  replied  to  their  questions  honestly  and  without  much 
exaggeration,  as  he  was  not  in  possession  of  any  secret  in 
formation,  the  disclosing  of  which  would  be  detrimental  to 
his  own  command. 

He  stated  further  he  had  in  reply  to  their  questions, 
told  them  that  the  fortifications  were  considered  of  great 
strength,  and  could  not  be  effectively  reached  by  any 
hostile  artillery  then  in  use,  and  that  the  officers  and 
soldiers  claimed  they  could  hold  the  place  against  an  as 
saulting  force  of  fifteen  thousand  men;  that  when  every 
thing  was  brought  inside  of  the  fortifications,  for  which 
there  was  ample  room,  and  the  artillery  in  its  emplace 
ments,  it  could  sweep  every  yard  of  the  front  for  more 


242  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War 

than  half  a  mile;  that  the  white  and  Indian  soldiers  were 
well  satisfied,  claiming  that  they  had  had  unbroken  suc 
cess  for  more  than  a  year,  and  had  no  doubt  but  that  they 
would  stay  there  until  they  were  ready  to  cross  the  Arkan 
sas  to  commence  operations  south  of  the  river;  that  the 
Union  Indians  spoke  with  affection  for  the  Government, 
for  it  had  fed  and  taken  care  of  the  families  of  the  Indian 
soldiers  in  Missouri  during  the  winter,  and  brought  them 
back  in  Government  wagons  to  their  homes  in  the  Chero 
kee  Nation  in  the  spring,  and  had  been  assisting  them  in 
recovering  their  stock  and  putting  in  such  crops  as  they 
usually  raised,  furnishing  them  seed  corn  and  seeds,  and 
giving  them  such  protection  as  was  possible. 

He  also  stated  that  the  Southern  officers  and  soldiers 
of  the  Texas  regiments  manifested  much  interest  in  the 
organization  of  the  Colored  Regiment,  the  "Nigger  Regi 
ment"  as  they  called  it  at  Baxter  Springs,  and  said  that 
frequent  couriers  from  Major  Livingston  commanding  the 
Southern  Partisan  Rangers  in  Missouri  in  the  vicinity  of 
Baxter  Springs,  brought  dispatches  relating  to  events  in 
that  section,  and  mentioned  the  fact  that  his  command 
had  recently  had  a  fight  with  the  niggers  and  killed  a 
number  of  them,  and  wanted  to  know  of  the  prisoner  if  he 
thought  "niggers"  would  fight  Southern  men,  and  whether 
he  had  heard  of  the  regiment  at  Baxter  Springs  being  or 
dered  to  Fort  Gibson  as  a  re-enforcement. 

To  these  questions  the  escaped  prisoner  replied,  that 
he  had  lately  been  with  an  expedition  to  Baxter  Springs,  as 
an  escort  to  the  supply  train,  and  stopped  there  two  or 
three  days,  and  saw  and  talked  with  the  soldiers  of  the 
Colored  Regiment;  that  since  President  Lincoln  had  issued 
his  proclamation  giving  the  colored  people  their  freedom, 
the  soldiers  told  him  that  colored  men  were  eager  to  enlist 
in  the  army  and  fight  for  the  Government  and  their  free 
dom;  that  they  were  enthusiastic  about  their  service  and 
took  great  pride  in  it,  and  were  asking  to  be  sent  to  the 


The  Union  Indian  Briagdc  in  th*  Civil  War.  243 

front,  to  Fort  Gibson,  as  early  as  possible ;  that  he  had  seen 
the  Colored  Regiment,  a  thousand  strong,  on  dress  parade 
at  Baxter  Springs  and  that  when  in  line  they  seemed  to 
stretch  out  fully  half  a  mile;  that  they  wore  military  caps, 
dark  blue  coats  and  light  blue  trousers,  and  every  man  had 
his  shoes  polished  black,  and  as  he  thought,  made  a  fine 
appearance ;  that  the  barrels  of  their  muskets  and  bayonets 
were  polished  as  bright  as  silver;  that  they  were  well 
drilled;  that  he  saw  them  drilling,  and  that  when  the 
order  was  given,  "order  arms,"  the  butts  of  their  muskets 
struck  the  ground  with  a  thud,  all  at  the  same  instant, 
and  that  on  the  drill  ground  they  went  through  beautiful 
movements  with  their  arms  on  their  shoulders  and  with 
glistening  bayonets  in  the  sunlight;  that  the  troops  at 
Gibson  could  not  compare  with  them  in  drilling;  that  their 
commissioned  officers  were  all  white  men,  selected  from 
white  regiments  for  their  intelligence  and  bravery,  and 
their  non-commissioned  officers,  sergeants  and  corporals, 
were  colored  men  promoted  from  the  ranks,  after  showing 
intelligence  and  interest  in  the  service. 

As  the  Southern  officers  and  soldiers  manifested  an 
interest  in  his  story*  the  escaped  prisoner  gave  them  fur 
ther  impressions  of  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  and  in 
reply  to  questions  as  to  whether  the  officers  treated  the 
colored  soldiers  roughly  and  kicked  them  around,  told 
his  captors  that  an  officer  was  not  allowed  to  abuse  a 
colored  soldier  or  touch  him;  that  if  a  soldier  disobeyed 
orders  or  committed  some  offence,  he  might  be  punished 
by  being  put  on  extra  duty,  or  sent  to  the  guard  house 
and  court-martialed,  and  in  reply  to  the  question  as  to 
whether  the  "nigger"  soldiers  were  paid  for  their  serv 
ices,  he  stated  that  they  received  the  same  pay  and  al 
lowances  as  the  white  soldiers;  that  according  to  his  in 
formation  the  colored  regiment  was  made  up  mostly  of 
colored  men  from  Missouri,  healthy,  husky  looking  fellows, 


244  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

who  were  considered  almost  as  intelligent  as  the  average 
white  man,  and  were  to  be  sent  down  as  a  re-enforcement 
with  the  next  train. 

From  all  he  could  see  and  hear,  the  escaped  prisoner 
stated  that  there  was  no  enthusiasm  among  the  white  or 
Indian  soldiers  for  the  cause  of  the  South,  and  that  gen 
erally  they  appeared  indifferent  as  to  the  outcome  of  the 
war,  and  that  the  reports  of  the  officers  spread  among 
the  soldiers,  of  great  victories  of  the  Confederate  armies 
in  the  east,  was  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  up  the  courage 
of  their  troops,  who  were  poorly  clothed  and  fed. 

News  brought  down  with  the  train  of  the  operations 
of  the  Union  armies  in  the  East  was  not  very  favorable, 
but  of  the  operations  of  General  Grant's  armies  around 
Vicksburg,  in  his  siege  of  that  stronghold,  the  outlook 
was  encouraging,  and  it  was  the  consensus  of  opinion  of 
the  highest  military  authorities,  that  the  place  must  fall 
in  a  few  weeks,  which  would  be  an  event  of  the  first  im 
portance;  it  would  open  the  Mississippi  River,  cut  the 
Confederacy  in  two,  and  release  a  large  number  of  troops 
that  had  been  borrowed  from  the  Department  of  Mis 
souri  and  enable  the  commander  of  that  Department  to 
throw  a  heavy  force  into  Northwest  Arkansas,  which  would 
in  turn  relieve  the  pressure  on  the  Indian  command  at 
Fort  Gibson. 

On  the  30th,  the  commissary  train  having  discharged 
the  army  supplies  brought  down,  started  back  to  Fort 
Scott,  guarded  by  an  escort  of  nearly  one  thousand 
mounted  troops,  and  crossed  Grand  River  twelve  miles 
above  the  post,  near  Flat  Rock,  a  rise  of  two  or  three 
feet,  making  it  unsafe  fording  at  Fort  Gibson. 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  245 

CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  ACTION  AT  CABIN  CREEK 

In  the  great  drama  of  life,  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest  form,  the  dominating  feature  in  the  struggle  for 
existence  has  been  a  struggle  for  food,  and  in  war  the 
people  or  social  aggregate  that  furnishes  its  fighting 
forces  sufficient  wholesome  food  and  clothing  for  their 
offensive  or  defensive  operations  must,  other  things  being 
equal,  win  in  a  struggle  with  a  people  or  social  aggregate 
that  fails  to  furnish  its  fighting  forces  with  sufficient 
food  and  clothing  for  their  offensive  or  defensive  opera 
tions. 

In  war  there  is  a  constant  matching  of  wits  between 
the  opposing  commanders  of  the  belligerent  forces.  They 
both  have  bases  and  sub-bases  of  supplies  for  furnishing 
their  troops  with  food,  arms  and  equipments,  and  if  they 
advance  towards  each  other  for  the  purpose  of  occupying 
debatable  ground,  each  will  see  to  it,  if  he  is  a  prudent 
commander,  that  at  the  end  of  every  march  he  makes 
his  communication  with  his  base  is  made  certain,  that 
his  bread  line  shall  not  be  interrupted. 

Where  both  belligerent  forces  are  occupying  the  de 
batable  ground,  and  one  of  the  commanders  does  not  feel 
that  he  is  strong  enough  to  try  conclusions  with  his  op 
ponent  in  a  pitched  battle,  he  may  believe  that  by  ma 
neuvering  he  can  win  a  decisive  advantage.  If  he  knows 
he  has  a  superior  mounted  force,  but  is  weak  in  infantry 
and  artillery,  he  hopes  that  by  cutting  off  detachments 
of  his  opponent  and  attacking  and  interrupting  his  com 
munication  with  his  base,  to  accomplish  all  that  would 
be  possible  were  their  forces  equal  in  arms  and  equip 
ment.  Morale  of  the  belligerent  forces  is  also  an  important 
factor  in  determining  results. 

Such  were  the  conditions  at  Fort  Gibson  during  the 
spring  and  early  summer.  General  Cooper  was  greatly 
superior  to  his  opponent,  Colonel  Phillips,  in  mounted 


246  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

troops.  He  had  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  regiment,  two 
Creek  regiments,  two  Cherokee  regiments,  three  Texas 
regiments,  besides  the  co-operation  of  General  Cabell  with 
two  brigades  of  cavalry  and  one  battery  at  Fayetteville 
to  operate  on  the  Federal  flank  east  of  Grand  River, 
which  was  fordable  except  in  time  of  high  water. 

General  Cooper  could  cross  the  Arkansas  above  and 
below  the  mouth  of  Grand  River  any  time  except  during 
high  water,  and  with  these  large  forces  might  reasonably 
hope  to  accomplish  definite  results;  but  the  morale  of  his 
troops  was  very  low.  They  had  been  defeated  in  all  the 
larger  operations  during  the  past  year,  and  the  offens 
ive  spirit,  the  elan  was  taken  out  of  them. 

On  the  Federal  side  Colonel  Phillips  had  the  three 
loyal  Indian  regiments,  and  the  Battalion  of  the  Sixth 
Kansas  Cavalry  and  Captain  Hopkins'  Battery  of  four 
guns  of  white  troops,  but  the  morale  of  these  troops  was 
good,  for  they  had  been  successful  in  all  the  operations 
in  which  they  had  participated  during  the  past  year,  and 
they  believed  that  they  could  hold  their  fortified  position 
against  any  Southern  force  likely  to  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  it,  and  their  only  doubt  of  being  able  to  hold  on 
was  in  the  difficulty  of  receiving  sufficient  supplies  to 
last  until  re-enforcements  arrived. 

In  the  Trojan  War  where  the  operations  depended 
almost  entirely  upon  the  strength,  valor  and  skill  in  the 
use  of  the  arms  of  the  leaders,  Homer  makes  his  Grecian 
and  Trojan  leaders,  on  approaching  each  other  within  easy 
talking  distance  in  the  heat  of  action  on  the  field,  ad 
dress  each  other,  giving  his  genealogical  history  and  de 
scent  from  heroic  ancestors  whose  achievements  and  praise 
had  filled  the  world,  before  hurling  his  spear  at  his  op 
ponent.  In  modern  wars  the  arms  used  do  not  make 
such  performances  of  the  leaders  practicable.  The  quali 
fications,  however,  of  the  Federal  and  Confederate  com 
manders  as  leaders  in  the  operations  under  consideration 
may  be  briefly  stated.  Colonel  Phillips  was  not  a  politician 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  247 

up  to  the  war,  but  a  man  of  wonderful  energy,  and  had 
had  large  experience  in  dealing  with  political  and  military 
matters.  He  was  the  New  York  Tribune  correspondent 
in  Kansas  during  the  Free  State  and  Border  Ruffian 
troubles  in  Kansas,  and  in  his  professional  capacity  was 
brought  into  close  relation  with  the  leaders  of  both  parties. 
He  attended  their  conventions  and  legislative  assemblies 
and  knew  their  leaders  and  heard  the  speeches  they  made 
in  the  discussions  of  the  question  at  issue  and  reported 
them.  He  mingled  with  the  leaders  personally.  There 
were  also  military  operations  conducted  by  the  Free  State 
and  Pro-Slavery  leaders,  which  he  wrote  about;  nor  did 
he  fail  to  notice  the  part  taken  by  the  United  States  forces 
in  co-operation  with  the  Territorial  authorities  in  en 
deavoring  to  maintain  the  National  Administration  regime. 
He  saw  more  of  the  military  and  of  military  administration 
than  any  other  man  in  Kansas  outside  of  officers  of  the 
Regular  Army.  His  varied  experience  in  public  affairs 
as  an  independent  critic  made  him  better  qualified  in 
handling  troops  and  in  the  administration  of  a  Depart 
ment,  than  perhaps  any  other  man  in  Kansas.  He  wrote 
the  first  History  of  Kansas,  giving  an  account  of  the 
struggles  of  the  Free  State  men,  which  ended  in  making 
the  Territory  a  Free  State,  and  his  management  of  the 
operations  of  the  Indian  command  showed  that  he  had 
the  capacity  for  dealing  with  military  problems  of  the 
highest  order.  General  Schofield  carefully  considered  his 
ability  and  honesty  before  directing  him  to  take  command 
of  the  Indian  Brigade  of  the  Eighth  and  Ninth  ^Districts, 
Department  of  Missouri. 

General  Cooper,  the  Confederate  commander,  had 
been  a  politician  of  some  local  prominence,  sufficient,  how 
ever,  to  secure  him  under  the  Democratic  Administration 
of  Mr.  Buchanan  the  appointment  as  Indian  Agent  of  the 
Choctaws  and  Chickasaws,  which  gave  him  some  prestige 
among  those  Indians,  and  as  the  Confederate  authorities 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  were  anxious  to  have  the 


248  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Indians  committed  to  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy,  his 
influence  was  sought  for  that  purpose,  and  he  was  author 
ized  to  raise  a  regiment  among  them  and  appointed  Colonel. 

He  was  very  much  like  many  other  Southern  leaders 
who  underestimated  the  fighting  qualities  of  Northern 
men  and  of  the  Union  armies,  and  the  resources  of  the 
Northern,  Middle  and  Western  States,  and  as  he  had  early 
failed  to  take  into  account  these  fighting  qualities  and 
resources,  when  the  time  came  to  meet  them,  he  failed 
utterly,  suffering  defeat  after  defeat  until  there  was  such 
a  collapse  of  his  Indian  forces  that  it  was  with  much  dif 
ficulty  that  they  were  reorganized.  In  recruiting  his 
Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  regiment  in  1861  he  thought  that 
in  their  war  paint  the  Indians  would  be  useful  in  fright 
ening  the  Yankees. 

While  a  combination  of  circumstances  connected  with 
operations  in  other  parts  of  the  country  had  permitted 
General  Cooper  to  take  up  a  threatening  attitude  on  the 
Federal  front  and  flank,  Colonel  Phillips  believed  that  his 
representations  of  the  situation  to  the  Department  com 
mander  would  bring  down  re-enforcements  with  the  next 
train  from  the  north,  that  would  quiet  all  uneasiness. 

After  the  defeat  and  return  of  the  expedition  sent  out 
to  capture  or  destroy  the  Federal  train,  General  Cooper 
was  prevented  from  sending  other  troops  north  of  the 
Arkansas  River  for  about  two  weeks  on  account  of  a  rise 
in  that  stream;  but  a  force  he  had  already  sent  over,  in 
co-operation  with  General  Cabell,  was  making  trouble  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  causing  a  num 
ber  of  Union  Indian  families  to  leave  their  homes  and 
seek  protection  of  the  troops  at  the  post  at  Fort  Gibson. 

A  daring  incident  occurred  while  a  detachment  of 
Southern  Indians  of  Colonel  Watie's  command  were  loot 
ing  the  house  of  a  loyal  Indian  family  near  Tahlequah. 
At  a  moment  when  the  hostile  Indians  were  busily  engaged 
in  looting,  a  woman  of  the  house  mounted  one  of  their 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  249 

horses  and  rode  into  Fort  Gibson  and  reported  to  head 
quarters  what  she  had  seen  taking  place.  It  was  such 
conduct  as  was  exhibited  by  this  Indian  woman  that  aided 
the  commander  of  the  Indian  Brigade  in  keeping  advised 
of  the  movements  of  the  hostile  Indian  forces  in  the  Chero 
kee  Nation  and  to  send  hijs  forces  immediately  against 
them  and  drive  them  out.  Small  parties,  too,  of  two,  three 
or  four  Indian  soldiers  were  permitted  to  return  to  their 
homes  on  furlough  from  time  to  time  to  see  their  families 
and  to  assist  in  putting  in  and  tending  their  crops,  and 
when  like  privileges  were  granted  to  the  followers  of  the 
Confederate  leaders,  the  parties  at  home  on  leave,  some 
times  met  in  deadly  conflict,  resulting  in  the  death  of  one 
or  more  of  the  participants.  Reports  of  these  isolated 
conflicts  in  different  parts  of  the  Indian  country  from  time 
to  time  came  into  headquarters,  and  in  response  to  them, 
troops  were  sent  to  the  disturbed  localities  to  restore 
tranquillity  and  capture  if  practicable  the  hostile  Indians 
found  within  the  Federal  lines. 

As  soon  as  the  Arkansas  wajs  fordable,  General  Cooper 
directed  Colonel  Watie  to  take  the  available  mounted  men 
of  his  Cherokee  regiment  and  cross  to  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  at  some  point  above  Webber's  Falls,  and  advance 
to  the  northern  part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  to  collect  sup 
plies  for  the  Southern  forces,  and  if  practicable  to  remain 
in  that  region,  with  such  detachments  as  he  might  have 
join  him,  until  the  latter  part  of  June  when  the  Federal 
supply  train  would  be  due  again,  the  movements  of  which 
he  should  closely  watch  after  leaving  Baxter  Springs,  and 
endeavor  to  ascertain  the  strength  of  the  escort. 

When  the  supply  train  unloaded  at  Fort  Gibson  and 
returned,  Major  Foreman  commanding  the  escort  that 
accompanied  it  to  Baxter  Springs,  was  directed  by  Colonel 
Phillips  on  leaving  it  there,  to  march  back  down  on  the 
&ast  side  of  £rand  River,  and  by  securing  information  from 


250  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

loyal  Indian  families  at  home,  of  the  presence  of  hostile 
Indian  forces  in  that  region,  endeavor  to  sweep  it  clean 
of  them  in  his  march  down. 

On  leaving  the  train  at  Baxter  Springs,  the  Major, 
with  325  men  of  the  Third  Indian  Regiment,  crossed  to 
the  east  side  of  Grand  River,  and  on  hearing  of  the  opera 
tions  of  Colonel  Watie  in  the  vicinity  of  Maysville,  moved 
forward  to  attack  him.  Colonel  Watie  was  informed  by 
his  scouts  of  the  advance  of  the  Federal  force  under  Fore 
man  and  to  avoid  a  fight  moved  southwest  to  Grand 
River,  near  the  mouth  of  Spavina  Creek,  where  he  en 
deavored  to  cross  it  to  join  a  Confederate  force  which  he 
had  been  advised  had  been  sent  down  on  the  west  side 
of  that  stream.  He  was  unable  to  cross  on  account  of 
high  water,  losing  several  men  and  horses  that  were 
drowned.  He  then  retreated  down  the  river  to  Grand 
Saline,  where  he  again  attempted  to  cross  to  the  west 
side  and  failed.  Here  his  rear  guard  was  overtaken  by 
Major  Foreman  and  in  the  fierce  assault  that  followed 
three  of  the  Southern  Indians  were  slain  and  the  others 
put  to  flight. 

Finding  that  he  was  hotly  pursued,  Colonel  Watie  re 
treated  rapidly  in  a  southeast  direction  through  Tahlequah 
and  Parkhill  to  the  Arkansas  River,  where  he  was  met  by 
a  large  force  under  Colonel  Bass,  Twentieth  Texas  Cavalry, 
and  Colonel  Tandy  Walker,  First  Choctaw  regiment,  to 
cover  his  retreat. 

Information  of  the  retreat  of  Colonel  Watie  through 
Tahlequah  was  conveyed  to  and  reached  Colonel  Phillips 
in  about  two  hours.  He  immediately  directed  Colonel 
Wattles  of  the  First  Indian  Regiment  to  take  four  hun 
dred  men  and  one  piece  of  Hopkins'  Battery  and  march 
down  on  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  and  intercept  the 
retreating  Indians,  at  the  same  time  sending  a  courier  with 
a  dispatch  to  Major  Foreman  advising  him  of  this  action, 
and  urging  him  to  press  the  enemy  with  the  utmost  energy. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  251 

Major  Foreman,  however,  had  given  up  the  pursuit 
and  was  on  the  march  to  Fort  Gibson  when  the  courier 
met  him,  claiming  in  his  report  that  his  men  and  horses 
were  too  much  exhausted  by  constant  marching  for  more 
than  a  week,  for  further  effective  service.  He  was  a 
brave,  gallant  officer  and  never  shirked  from  a  fight  and 
made  a  good  record. 

After  marching  about  fifteen  miles  down  the  river 
during  the  night,  Colonel  Wattles  received  information 
that  Major  Foreman  had  given  up  the  pursuit  of  Watie 
and  was  returning  to  Fort  Gibson.  He  was  at  a  loss,  there 
fore,  to  determine  what  further  movement  to  make.  At 
daylight  he  received  information  from  his  scouts,  whom 
he  had  stationed  at  several  points  to  watch  any  movement 
the  enemy  might  attempt  to  make  against  his  flank  or 
rear,  that  the  Confederates  had  crossed  the  Arkansas  in 
force  during  the  night  and  were  forming  in  his  rear  in 
the  timber  on  the  south  side  of  Greenleaf  Prairie. 

To  meet  this  unexpected  phase  of  the  situation,  he 
determined  to  counter-march  and  attack  the  enemy  formed 
in  his  rear,  which  he  did  and  drove  them  back  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  river.  They  were  re-enforced,  however, 
and  rallied  and  drove  the  mounted  Federal  force  back  upon 
the  infantry  and  howitzer  and  attempted  to  take  the  gun, 
when  Captain  Sol  Kaufman,  commanding  the  piece,  used 
shell  and  canister  and  repulsed  them  and  they  again  re 
tired  and  were  maneuvering  for  a  better  position,  when 
Colonel  Schauerte,  Second  Indian  Regiment,  arrived  on  the 
field  with  a  force  of  five  hundred  infantry  and  cavalry 
and  one  howitzer,  and  relieved  Colonel  Wattles  and  as 
sumed  command  of  the  united  forces. 

Colonel  Schauerte  had  been  an  orderly  sergeant  in 
the  Regular  Army  and  with  his  thorough  military  train 
ing  knew  how  to  handle  his  men,  and  when  he  com 
menced  moving  them  as  if  they  were  on  the  drill  ground, 
the  Confederates  hastily  retreated  down  the  river  and 


252  .  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

recrossed  it  to  the  south  side  at  Webber's  Falls,  with  a 
loss  of  seven  killed,  number  of  wounded  not  known.  The 
Federal  loss  was  seven  killed,  eight  wounded  and  five 
prisoners. 

In  the  fall  of  1862  the  Southern  Indian  forces  were 
drawn  out  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  for  operations  in  South 
west  Missouri  and  Northwest  Arkansas,  which  permitted 
the  old  Indian  men  and  women  to  sow  almost  their  usual 
acreage  of  wheat,  and  as  the  season  had  been  favorable 
for  the  crop,  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  securing  as  much 
of  it  as  possible  that  Colonel  Watie  was  making  his  raids 
into  the  northern  and  central  parts  of  the  Indian  country 
in  the  early  part  of  June.  In  this  part  of  the  Indian  coun 
try  there  had  not  been  any  serious  disturbance  during  the 
autumn,  winter  or  spring,  for  after  the  action  of  Old  Fort 
Wayne  the  Southern  Indians  were  driven  south  of  the 
Arkansas,  and  had  not  ventured  to  return,  so  that  many 
of  the  loyal  Indians  had  not  only  put  in  crops  of  wheat, 
but  had  gathered  up  part  of  their  scattered  stock. 

It  was  therefore  the  purpose  of  General  Cooper  to  pre 
vent  the  Indian  command  at  Fort  Gibson  from  not  only  re 
ceiving  supplies  by  wagon  trains  from  the  north,  but  also 
to  prevent  it  from  receiving  any  part  of  the  wheat  crop 
being  harvested,  and  in  order  to  do  this  it  would  be  neces 
sary  to  keep  the  troops  confined  within  a  very  small  area 
around  their  fortifications. 

Before  Colonel  Watie  had  been  driven  out  of  the 
northern  and  central  part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  by  Major 
Foreman,  General  Cooper  sent  a  force  of  three  hundred 
cavalry  down  on  the  west  side  of  Grand  River  to  re-enforce 
him  or  co-operate  with  him  should  he  be  disturbed,  but 
the  co-operation  was  impracticable  on  account  of  high 
water,  and  this  cavalry  force  marched  back  down  the  river, 
passing  within  two  or  three  miles  of  Fort  Gibson,  hoping 
to  raid  the  herds,  some  of  which  were  being  sent  out  to 
west  side  of  the  river  from  the  post,  due  to  the  growing 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  253 

scarcity  of  grass  for  grazing  the  stock.  The  herders  were 
vigilant,  however,  and  drove  the  stock  in  near  the  post 
without  any  loss. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  Confederate  camp,  too,  the  wild 
grass  was  being  used  up  by  the  mounts  of  the  troops 
and  transport  animals,  and  the  Confederate  commander 
was  obliged  to  move  his  camp  back  fifteen  miles  to  Elk 
Creek  for  better  grazing,  after  leaving  heavy  outposts  and 
picket  guards  at  the  fords  of  the  Arkansas,  to  watch  and 
report  the  movements  of  the  Indian  command  at  Fort 
Gibson.  He  had  no  forage  for  his  public  animals  and  was 
obliged  to  depend  on  grazing  to  keep  them  fit  for  service. 

At  that  time  the  intelligence  department  of  the  Army 
of  each  independent  command  had  not  reached  a  very 
high  state  of  development.  Still  the  commander  could 
employ  scouts  and  spies  to  keep  him  informed  of  the  move 
ments  of  the  enemy.  There  was,  however,  much  useful 
information  to  be  derived  from  other  sources,  showing 
what  was  going  on  in  the  enemy  camps,  scarcely  less  im 
portant  than  his  movements,  particularly  when  it  reflected 
the  morale  of  his  troops. 

In  the  continuous  firing  at  each  other  of  the  belligerent 
pickets  of  the  white  troops  of  each  side  on  the  Arkansas 
River,  they  sometimes  arranged  a  truce  for  a  day  or  so, 
and  while  bathing,  approached  each  other  near  the  middle 
of  the  stream  and  exchanged  coffee  for  tobacco  and  held 
quite  lengthy  conversations  concerning  the  talk  and  gossip 
of  their  respective  camps. 

In  one  of  these  mid-stream  conversations  or  sym 
posiums,  the  Confederate  pickets  talked  freely  of  the  great 
number  of  desertions  in  their  army,  and  stated  that  only 
recently  four  men  had  been  tried  by  court-martial  for 
desertion  and  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  shot,  the  exe 
cution  to  take  place  in  a  few  days,  and  that  the  Confede 
rate  authorities  were  very  severe  in  dealing  with  deserters, 
generally  inflicting  the  death  penalty.  That  these  South- 


254  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ern  soldiers  were  not  exaggerating  the  situation  that  ex 
isted  in  the  Southern  army  in  that  region,  and  of  the  very 
low  morale,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  General  Steele,  in 
reporting  his  operations  covering  that  period,  stated  that 
desertions  in  Cabell's  Arkansas  Brigade  became  alarming 
without  any  apparent  cause;  that  they  left  by  tens  and 
hundreds,  as  many  as  two  hundred  leaving  in  one  night, 
several  officers  going  with  them.  Such  conditions  as  he 
reported  would  not  likely  escape  the  notice  of  the  soldiers 
in  the  ranks. 

If  General  Steele  had  made  careful  inquiry  he  would 
probably  have  found  that  practically  all  these  desertions 
were  of  Union  men  who  had  been  conscripted  into  the 
Southern  army,  hunted  down  and  taken  to  the  instruction 
camps  and  were  determined  they  would  not  fight  for  the 
Confederacy,  as  they  had  no  interest  in  maintaining  slave 
ry,  or  in  extending  slave  territory. 

It  had  been  the  policy  of  the  Federal  Government  to 
deal  leniently  with  its  soldiers  for  all  ordinary  offenses, 
and  even  in  cases  of  desertion,  except  where  the  deserters 
enlisted  and  deserted  to  convey  information  to  the  Con 
federate  authorities  of  army  operations,  which  put  the 
deserters  in  the  catalogue  of  spies,  and  if  caught  they 
were  tried  by  court-martial  and  if  convicted,  executed. 
There  were  very  few  deserters  from  the  Union  armies  who 
went  over  to  the  Confederacy.  There  were  many  de 
sertions  because  the  deserters  did  not  have  the  courage 
to  face  dangers  on  the  battle  field. 

There  was  very  little  in  the  administration  of  army 
operations  or  in  the  discipline  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Union 
armies  that  grated  harshly  on  the  feelings  of  the  intelli 
gent  soldier,  or  impressed  him  that  being  a  soldier  lowered 
his  manhood  or  social  status,  for  he  knew  that  a  milder 
form  of  discipline  and  control  had  been  inaugurated  since 
the  beginning  of  the  war  than  existed  in  the  Old  Army; 
;hat  Congress  had  passed  a  law  abolishing  flogging  in 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  255 

the  Army  and  Navy,  and  forbidding  abuse  of  soldiers  by 
their  officers,  and  that  soldiers  had  rights  which  must 
be  respected. 

There  was  at  that  time  no  other  army  in  the  world 
that  had  as  mild  a  form  of  discipline  as  that  which  gov 
erned  the  Union  armies,  and  yet  there  was  no  other  army 
as  well  disciplined  for  performing  the  work  for  which  this 
army  was  organized.  The  old  idea  that  the  soldier  would 
perform  his  duty  only  through  fear  of  punishment,  had 
vanished;  the  morale  of  the  army  had  not  suffered;  it 
could  not  have  been  higher. 

A  government  whose  corner  stone  was  slavery  and  a 
social  status  of  slave-owning  class  that  furnished  nearly 
all  the  officers  of  the  army,  could  not  possibly  exercise 
that  form  of  discipline  that  existed  in  the  Union  armies 
where  the  soldiers  knew  and  felt  their  equal  rights,  even 
in  the  presence  of  the  highest  officers,  who  were  general 
ly  sympathetic  towards  their  men,  instead  of  assuming 
an  attitude  of  class  superiority,  as  was  assumed  by  South 
ern  officers  who  were  sons  of  slave  owners. 

While  Colonel  Phillips  was  having  his  troubles  in 
maintaining  his  position  at  Fort  Gibson  and  in  receiving 
his  supplies  from  the  north  in  wagon  trains,  each  wagon 
being  drawn  by  a  four-mule  team  over  an  excellent  road, 
the  Old  Military  Road,  from  Fort  Scott,  the  Confederate 
leaders,  Generals  Steele  and  Cooper,  were  also  having  their 
troubles  in  securing  precarious  supplies  from  the  country, 
and  their  supplies  of  ammunition  from  San  Antonio,  Texas, 
to  Bonham,  were  hauled  by  ox  teams,  and  thence  to  the 
troops  in  the  field  by  such  means  of  transportation  as  they 
were  able  to  provide.  They  were  conscious  of  the  deser 
tions  and  low  morale  of  their  men  and  unsuccessful  ex 
peditions  to  cripple  seriously  the  Indian  command  at  Fort 
Gibson  after  many  strenuous  efforts. 

About  the  middle  of  June  the  indications  were  multi 
plying  that  General  Cooper  was  going  to  make  another 


256  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

desperate  effort  to  capture  the  Federal  supply  train  com 
ing  down  from  the  north  about  the  end  of  the  month. 
General  Cabell,  commanding  the  Confederate  forces  in 
Western  Arkansas,  had  promised  co-operation  and  would 
cross  Grand  River  and  join  the  forces  sent  out  by  General 
Cooper  on  the  west  side  of  that  stream  at  the  point 
designated  for  making  the  attack.  This  co-operating  move 
ment  of  the  Confederate  Generals  seemed  to  give  promise 
of  success.  As  a  confirmation  that  such  a  movement  was 
under  way,  several  loyal  Cherokee  women  came  into  head 
quarters  from  near  Cincinnati  on  the  State  line,  sixty  miles 
east,  and  reported  that  a  large  Confederate  force  of  white 
troops  mounted,  more  than  a  thousand  strong,  were  en 
camped  at  that  place,  preparing  to  move  north  through  the 
Cherokee  Nation. 

It  was  considered  advisable  by  General  Cabell  to  move 
as  far  north  as  practicable  that  he  might  come  in  touch 
with  Major  Livingston's  scouts,  who  would  keep  him  in 
formed  of  the  movements  of  the  train  and  escort  from  day 
to  day.  His  march  would  be  made  leisurely,  which  would 
enable  him  to  recruit  the  strength  of  his  mounts,  which 
had  been  impaired  by  hard  service  and  scanty  forage  in 
the  section  of  his  operations. 

The  large  number  of  Refugee  Indian  families  around 
Fort  Gibson  who  were  fed  from  the  commissary  supplies 
brought  down  for  the  troops  made  it  necessary  to  com 
mence  issuing  half  rations  to  the  soldiers  after  June  20th, 
and  a  few  days  later  the  ration  was  reduced  to  fresh  beef, 
salt,  rice  and  wheat,  the  wheat  having  been  obtained  from 
the  farms  of  the  Indians  who  were  just  completing  their 
harvest. 

This  was  the  first  time  the  troops  were  short  of  food 
supplies  since  the  Indian  Brigade  had  become  an  inde 
pendent  command.  The  radical  change  of  diet,  it  was 
claimed,  caused  some  sickness  among  the  soldiers  and  the 
refugees,  and  there  were  several  deaths  reported  by  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  257 

surgeons  at  the  post  to  be  due  to  cholera,  called  sporadic 
cases;  the  few  cases  reported  caused  some  anxiety  among 
the  medical  officers,  but  there  was  no  general  outbreak 
of  the  disease. 

The  surgeons  and  assistant  surgeons  of  the  three  In 
dian  Regiments  were  white  men,  graduate  physicians,  and 
looked  after  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  troops;  but  it 
was  impossible  to  enforce  cleanliness  and  sanitary  rules 
among  the  large  number  of  Indian  families  camping  out 
and  using  poorly  improvised  shelters  around  the  post  with 
scanty  provisions  and  few  conveniences,  all  of  which  im 
posed  many  hardships  upon  them. 

These  families  were  mostly  Creeks  and  Seminoles,  the 
families  of  the  soldiers  of  the  First  and  Second  Indian 
regiments.  Their  country  was  occupied  by  the  Southern 
forces,  and  they  did  not  consider  it  safe  to  return  to  their 
homes,  as  many  of  the  Cherokee  families  had  been  doing. 
The  country  north  of  the  Arkansas  was  regarded  as  with 
in  the  Federal  lines,  and  the  country  south  of  the  river 
within  the  Confederate  lines  at  that  time. 

On  June  20th  Colonel  Phillips  ordered  Major  Foreman 
to  take  six  hundred  mounted  men  from  the  First,  Second 
and  Third  Indian  regiments,  and  one  twelve  pound  howit 
zer,  and  move  north  on  the  Military  Road  to  Baxter 
Springs,  where  he  would  meet  the  supply  train  from  Fort 
Scott  and  bring  it  down  under  escort  as  early  as  prac 
ticable,  as  his  troops  at  the  post  were  running  short  of 
commissary  supplies. 

His  scouts  and  spies  brought  him  information  daily 
of  the  movements  of  the  Confederate  forces,  and  he  knew 
that  General  Cooper  had  prepared  to  send  a  large  force 
of  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  mounted  troops  north 
on  the  west  side  of  Grand  River,  and  that  General  Cabell 
with  a  brigade  of  cavalry  and  three  guns  were  near  the 
State  line  between  Cincinnati  and  Maysville  within  sup 
porting  distance  of  the  force  on  the  west  side,  when  it  was 


258  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ready  to  attack  the  train  coming  down,  and  in  a  com 
munication  to  General  Blunt,  the  Department  commander, 
Colonel  Phillips,  laid  the  situation  before  him,  emphasiz 
ing  the  fact  that  if  the  position  at  Fort  Gibson  was  to  be 
held,  re-enforcements  should  accompany  the  train  down 
from  Baxter  Springs;  that  his  troops  were  suffering  for 
want  of  supplies,  and  that  it  would  be  ruinous  to  the  Union 
cause  among  the  Indians  to  abandon  his  position. 

The  General  had  been  prompt  in  giving  attention  to 
everything  relating  to  the  administration  of  affairs  in  his 
department,  and  appreciating  the  situation,  informed 
Colonel  Phillips  that  Colonel  Williams,  commanding  the 
colored  regiment  at  Baxter  Springs,  with  a  section  of  the 
Second  Kansas  Battery,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Dodd,  com 
manding  the  Second  Colorado  Infantry,  had  been  ordered 
to  re-enforce  him  and  would  accompany  the  next  commis 
sary  train  south. 

On  leaving  Baxter  Springs  on  the  25th,  the  escort 
to  the  train  consisted  of  the  following  troops:  Major  Fore 
man's  Indian  battalion  and  one  howitzer,  one  company  of 
cavalry  from  each  the  Third  Wisconsin,  Ninth  and  Four 
teenth  regiments  Kansas  Cavalry,  the  Second  Colorado  In 
fantry,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Dodd  commanding,  and  the 
First  Kansas  Colored  Infantry  and  a  section  of  the  Second 
Kansas  Battery,  Colonel  J.  M.  Williams  commanding,  and 
by  virtue  of  his  rank  in  command  of  the  whole  force. 

Soldiers  of  the  colored  regiment  expressed  themselves 
as  eager  for  a  fight;  it  would  be  the  first  fight  in  which 
they  had  taken  part  as  a  regimental  unit  since  their 
organization;  they  knew  that  there  was  prejudice  among 
the  white  soldiers  against  them  on  account  of  their  color, 
and  they  determined  that  if  they  became  engaged  with 
the  enemy,  that  their  performance  should  be  creditable  to 
any  military  organization,  and  Colonel  Williams,  who  had 
drilled  them  and  handled  them,  had  the  utmost  confidence 
in  their  steadiness  under  fire. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  259 

On  arriving  at  the  Neosho  River  it  was  found  past 
fording,  and  the  train  and  escort  were  detained  there 
three  days  by  high  water,  and  then  the  march  south  was 
resumed  on  the  Military  Road,  Major  Foreman's  battalion 
of  Indians  in  advance.  A  trail  was  discovered,  the  grass 
was  beaten  down  by  horses'  feet;  the  Major  detached  Lieu 
tenant  Luke  Parsons  with  thirty  Cherokees  to  ascertain 
what  made  it,  and  after  following  it  for  four  miles,  came 
up  with  thirty  enemy  Indians  and  immediately  charged 
them,  killing  four  and  taking  three  prisoners.  They  were 
Colonel  Watie's  advance  outpost  and  in  a  position  to  watch 
the  movements  of  the  Federal  train  and  escort  and  to  give 
warning  to  their  comrades  of  the  approach  of  the  Federal 
forces. 

The  train  and  escort  continued  the  movement  south 
until  noon  July  first,  when  they  came  upon  the  Confede 
rates  strongly  posted  at  Cabin  Creek,  concealed  in  the 
thickets  on  the  south  bank  of  the  stream,  which  was  then 
past  fording  from  recent  heavy  rains  in  that  region.  The 
situation  disclosed  to  Colonel  Williams  that  the  enemy 
would  have  to  be  dislodged  from  their  position  before  he 
could  proceed  with  the  train. 

A  deserter  from  the  Confederate  camp  on  Elk  Creek 
was  brought  into  headquarters  at  Fort  Gibson  on  the  first 
of  July,  and  on  being  carefully  questioned  stated  that  be 
fore  he  left  on  the  28th  of  June,  General  Cooper  had  sent 
out  a  second  column  of  mounted  troops  to  re-enforce  the 
first  column  sent  out  under  Colonel  Watie  a  few  days  be 
fore,  which  confirmed  the  reports  of  Colonel  Phillips' 
scouts  who  had  been  watching  the  movements  of  the 
enemy  south  of  the  Arkansas. 

It  was  ascertained  from  prisoners  taken  and  from 
other  reliable  sources,  that  when  the  two  columns  formed 
a  junction  near  Cabin  Creek,  that  Colonel  Watie,  the  senior 
officer  present,  had  in  his  command  the  following  or 
ganizations:  His  own  regiment,  the  First  Cherokee,  the 


260  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

First  Creek  Regiment,  Colonel  Mclntosh,  part  of  DeMorse's 
Twenty-ninth  Texas,  and  Colonel  Martin's  Sixth  Texas 
Partisan  Rangers,  a  total  force  of  sixteen  to  eighteen  hun 
dred  men,  and  an  engineer  officer  who  selected  Cabin 
Creek  as  the  strongest  position  on  the  Military  Road  for 
making  the  attack  on  the  train  and  escort.  Colonel  Wil 
liams  also  ascertained  that  General  Cabell  with  twelve  to 
fifteen  hundred  cavalry  and  three  guns  was  on  the  east 
side  of  Grand  River,  about  three  miles  from  the  scene 
of  operations  and  unable  to  come  to  the  assistance  of 
Colonel  Watie  on  account  of  high  water  in  that  stream. 

The  Military  Road  at  that  time  crossed  Cabin  Creek 
about  three  miles  above  where  it  empties  into  Grand  River, 
and  there  was  a  strip  of  timber  and  brush  along  the 
creek  above  and  below  the  ford,  nearly  two  miles  wide. 
North  of  the  ford  the  heights  overlooked  the  strip  of 
timber  and  the  country  several  miles  to  the  south.  The 
Southern  forces  were  occupying  a  strong  position,  from 
which  it  would  not  be  an  easy  task  to  dislodge  them  with 
out  artillery. 

On  arriving  upon  the  heights  north  of  the  ford,  the 
train  was  parked,  and  Colonel  Dodd,  with  the  Second  Col 
orado  Infantry,  one  company  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Caval 
ry,  and  one  company  of  the  First  Kansas  Colored  Infantry, 
was  left  to  guard  it  while  Colonel  Williams,  with  the  bal 
ance  of  the  command,  moved  forward,  and  on  approaching 
the  timber,  formed  his  line  on  each  side  of  the  road,  and 
advancing,  dispersed  the  enemy  skirmishers,  and  coming 
near  the  north  bank  of  the  creek,  received  the  fire  of  the 
Confederates  who  were  posted  behind  trees  and  logs,  and 
in  some  places,  behind  rifle  pits  hastily  thrown  up,  but 
without  doing  any  damage,  the  range  being  too  great  for 
effective  work. 

In  the  pursuit  of  the  Confederate  pickets  and  outposts 
on  the  north  side  of  the  creek,  it  was  found  that  the  Con 
federate  forces  were  occupying  the  brush  and  timber  near 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  Way.  261 

the  eouth  bank  of  the  stream,  above  and  below  the  ford, 
for  nearly  a  mile,  and  in  readiness  to  defend  their  posi 
tion.  They  were  dismounted  except  the  men  who  held 
the  horses  of  the  dismounted  men,  in  the  rear. 

This  first  reconnoissance  developed  the  fact  that  there 
was  not  a  sufficient  force  of  the  enemy  on  the  north  side 
of  the  creek  to  offer  any  serious  resistance,  and  Colonel 
Williams  determined  to  ascertain  at  once  whether  it  was 
fordable,  and  ordered  his  infantry  to  form  on  the  north 
bank  above  and  below  the  entrance  of  the  ford,  supported 
by  two  howitzers,  and  opened  fire  upon  the  enemy  in 
response  to  their  firing,  the  howitzers  using  shell  and 
canister  for  searching  every  yard  of  the  ground  for  a 
hundred  yards  or  so  back  of  the  south  bank. 

After  the  howitzers  and  infantry  had  kept  up  a  brisk 
fire  for  half  an  hour,  the  enemy  firing  almost  ceased,  and 
Major  Foreman,  under  instructions  from  Colonel  Williams, 
moved  forward  with  his  command  and  entered  the  creek, 
and  finding  that  it  was  too  deep  for  fording,  returned  to 
his  former  position,  when,  after  consulting  with  the 
principal  officers  present,  the  troops  were  ordered  into 
camp  for  the  night,  except  that  strong  guards  and  out 
posts  were  left  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy, 
and  to  report  the  condition  of  the  stream,  hourly. 

That  evening  Colonel  Williams  held  a  consultation 
with  the  officers  of  each  independent  command,  at  which 
each  officer  expressed  his  views  in  regard  to  the  plan  of 
operations  for  the  next  morning,  when  the  stream  would 
no  doubt  be  fordable.  They  knew  of  the  presence  of 
General  Cabell's  Confederate  force  on  the  east  side  of 
Grand  River,  only  three  or  four  miles  distant,  and  unable 
to  cross  on  account  of  high  water,  and  they  recognized 
that  the  Confederate  force  in  their  immediate  front  should 
be  disposed  of  before  it  could  be  re-enforced. 

In  accordance  with  the  plans  evolved  at  the  conference 
of  the  officers,  the  whole  force  with  the  train,  united 


262  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

under  Colonel  Williams,  after  leaving  a  sufficient  force 
under  Colonel  Dodd  to  guard  the  train,  two  miles  north 
of  the  ford  on  the  prairie,  moved  forward  the  next  morn 
ing  at  eight  o'clock,  to  open  the  fight  in  the  following 
order:  Lieutenant  Wilson,  commanding  a  section  of  the 
Second  Kansas  Battery,  placed  his  two  guns  on  an  elevated 
position  on  the  extreme  left;  Captain  Armstrong,  with  a 
section  of  artillery,  took  up  a  position  within  about  two 
hundred  yards  of  the  position  occupied  by  the  Confed 
erates,  and  Lieutenant  J.  C.  Cayot,  with  one  mountain 
howitzer,  was  placed  in  position  on  the  right;  Major  Fore 
man,  commanding  a  company  of  the  Third  Indian  Regi 
ment,  was  assigned  to  the  advance  to  lead  in  the  attack, 
the  balance  of  his  Indian  detachment  being  posted  to 
guard  the  creek  above  and  below  the  ford,  and  to  open 
fire  upon  any  of  the  enemy  who  showed  themselves. 

In  the  rear  of  Major  Foreman  was  the  First  Kansas 
Colored  Infantry,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  John 
Bowles,  followed  by  a  battalion  of  the  Second  Colorado  In 
fantry,  under  Major  J.  Nelson  Smith,  and  last  in  the  for 
mation  was  a  battalion  of  three  companies  of  cavalry  com 
manded  by  Captain  John  E.  Stewart,  Ninth  Kansas 
Cavalry. 

On  the  Confederate  side  Colonel  Watie  had  a  consul 
tation  with  his  officers  in  the  evening  after  the  Federal 
forces  retired  to  their  camp,  for  an  expression  of  views 
in  regard  to  the  situation.  In  the  discussion  most  of  those 
who  took  an  active  part  expressed  the  opinion  that  their 
position  was  so  strong  that  it  could  not  be  taken  by  the 
Federal  forces  by  further  attacks,  and  that  if  they  could 
be  held  off  two  or  three  days,  General  Cabell  would  be  able 
to  cross  Grand  River  and  come  to  their  aid  with  his  white 
troops  and  artillery,  which  would  make  success  certain, 
with  every  man  doing  his  duty. 

Colonel  Williams  having  ascertained  that  the  creek 
had  run  down  during  the  night  and  was  fordable,  and  his 
troops  and  artillery  being  in  position,  ordered  his  batteries 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  263 

to  open  fire  on  the  enemy  position  with  shell  and  canister, 
which  was  continued  for  forty  minutes,  when  it  ceased, 
the  Confederates  having  sought  shelter  behind  trees,  logs 
and  breastworks.  They  had  prepared  to  meet  the  move 
ments  they  knew  the  commander  of  the  Federal  troops 
would  make.  They  had  a  number  of  men  up  in  trees  as 
signal  stations  to  watch  and  report  the  movements  of  the 
Federal  troops  from  the  time  they  left  their  camps  on  the 
prairie,  marching  in  perfect  order,  the  bright  bayonets  of 
the  infantry  glistening  in  the  morning  sunshine,  until  they 
took  up  their  position  on  the  north  bank  of  the  creek. 

When  reports  came  to  him  from  his  signal  stations 
that  his  heavy  artillery  fire  was  causing  confusion  in  the 
ranks  of  the  enemy  and  appeared  to  have  silenced  their 
firing,  Colonel  Williams  ordered  Major  Foreman  to  ad 
vance,  and  in  a  moment  he  entered  the  stream  and  when 
nearing  the  opposite  shore,  the  Confederates,  who  were 
lying  in  a  ditch  down  behind  a  breastwork  they  had  thrown 
up  along  the  sloping  side  of  the  creek  bank  and  covered 
with  the  boughs  of  willows,  only  a  few  rods  from  where 
the  Federal  force  would  be  obliged  to  pass,  rose  up  and 
delivered  a  heavy  volley  of  musketry  into  them,  wounding 
Major  Foreman  and  several  of  his  men,  which  halted  the 
column,  and  seeing  their  leader  wounded,  they  retired  to 
the  north  side  of  the  creek. 

Colonel  Williams,  who  was  on  the  ground  watching 
and  directing  the  movement  of  his  troops,  on  the  retire 
ment  of  his  advance  ordered  the  officers  of  his  batteries  to 
open  fire  again  upon  the  Confederate  position  with  shell 
and  canister  for  twenty  minutes,  searching  the  woods 
and  brush  thoroughly  on  the  opposite  shore  near  the  exit 
of  the  ford,  and  while  this  was  taking  place,  brought  up 
a  company  of  the  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry  under  Lieutenant 
R.  C.  Philbrick  to  take  the  position  of  the  Indian  com 
pany  in  the  advance,  and  ordered  him  to  move  forward  at 
a  double  quick,  which  he  did  under  cover  of  the  artillery 


264  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

fire  on  the  right  and  the  fire  of  the  three  infantry  com 
panies  on  the  north  bank,  until  he  secured  a  footing  on 
the  south  side  of  the  creek. 

This  gallant  movement  of  the  Lieutenant  with  his 
men  holding  their  carbines  ready  for  instant  action,  was 
not  accomplished  without  drawing  a  hot  but  ineffectual 
fire  from  the  Confederates  behind  their  defense,  ineffect 
ual  because  the  moment  they  showed  themselves  they  were 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Federal  artillery  and  small  arms 
of  the  infantry  companies  formed  along  the  north  bank 
of  the  stream.  It  was  a  critical  moment;  his  cavalry 
having  successfully  crossed  and  formed  on  the  south  side 
of  the  stream,  Colonel  Williams  immediately  pushed  for 
ward  his  infantry  and  cavalry  and  crossed  over,  his  in 
fantry  wading  in  the  water  up  to  their  waist  belts,  and 
formed  in  line  on  the  south  bank  in  front  of  the  enemy 
who  were  keeping  up  a  desultory  firing  while  reforming 
their  lines  for  a  stubborn  resistance. 

The  Federal  troops  were  there  to  fight,  and  the  Colonel 
advanced  his  line  and  drove  the  Confederates  from  their 
position  in  the  brush  and  temporary  defenses,  but  they 
formed  in  line  again  in  the  edge  of  the  prairie  where  the 
ground  was  more  open  and  suitable  for  maneuvering  on 
both  sides;  they  made  an  imposing  appearance  and  seemed 
determined  to  stand.  After  having  remounted  their  horses 
and  formed  it  was  not  difficult  to  break  their  new  line. 

The  belligerent  forces  were  face  to  face,  and  the 
crucial  moment  for  the  test  of  strength  at  hand.  The 
Federal  infantry  advanced  in  line  with  fixed  bayonets; 
Colonel  Williams  ordered  Captain  Stewart,  with  two  com 
panies  of  cavalry,  to  take  position  on  his  right,  to  pre 
vent  a  flank  movement  of  the  Confederates  in  that  di 
rection,  and  Lieutenant  Philbrick  was  directed  to  move 
forward  with  his  company  and  charge  the  front  line  of 
the  Confederates  and  break  through  it  and  endeavor  to 
ascertain  their  strength  and  position. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  265 

It  was  a  tense  moment  with  the  Lieutenant,  but  on 
receiving  his  instructions  he  dashed  forward,  his  troopers 
coming  into  line  at  a  trot,  charged  upon  the  Confederate 
front,  breaking  it  and  throwing  them  into  disorder,  which 
being  noted  by  Colonel  Williams,  he  ordered  all  his  cavalry 
to  the  front,  under  Captain  Stewart,  to  follow  up  the  suc 
cess  achieved  and  give  the  enemy  no  time  to  rally. 

After  the  Confederates  were  driven  from  their  posi 
tions  along  the  creek,  their  morale  was  a  good  deal  shaken, 
and  when  their  line  was  broken  by  Lieutenant  Philbrick's 
charge,  Colonel  Watie  seems  to  have  made  very  little  ef 
fort  to  rally  them,  so  that  Captain  Stewart,  with  the 
cavalry,  pursued  the  fugitives  about  five  miles  south,  kill 
ing  and  wounding  a  good  many  and  dispersing  the  others, 
who  took  to  the  brush  and  timber  along  Grand  River  and 
other  streams  intersecting  their  line  of  retreat. 

Having  completely  routed  and  dispersed  the  enemy  and 
recalled  his  cavalry  from  the  pursuit,  Colonel  Williams 
communicated  the  result  of  his  operation  to  Colonel  Dodd, 
commanding  the  troops  guarding  the  train,  who  at  once 
put  them  in  motion  and  crossed  the  creek  that  evening, 
and  the  train  and  whole  force  arrived  at  Fort  Gibson 
without  further  interruption. 

The  Union  losses  in  this  action  were  nine  killed  and 
thirty  wounded;  the  Confederate  loss  was  not  definitely 
known,  as  Colonel  Watie,  the  commander,  appears  to  have 
made  no  report,  but  Colonel  Williams,  Who  was  on  the 
ground,  reported  the  enemy  losses  fifty  killed,  wounded 
not  known,  and  nine  prisoners. 

This  was  the  first  action  in  the  west  in  which  the 
recently  organized  colored  soldiers  had  an  opportunity  of 
showing  their  fighting  qualities  as  a  regimental  unit,  and 
it  was  admitted  by  white  officers  of  other  organizations 
who  witnessed  their  conduct  under  fire,  that  it  was  ex 
cellent,  and  that  they  were  as  reliable  as  other  soldiers 
when  properly  led  by  efficient  officers, 


266  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

There  was  still,  however,  opposition  among  the  white 
soldiers  to  being  brigaded  with  the  colored  regiment;  but 
their  soldierly  appearance  and  splendid  conduct  at  Cabin 
Creek  had  a  good  effect  in  destroying  such  unreasonable 
prejudice,  and  when  there  was  a  prospect  of  further  fight 
ing,  those  who  had  been  opposed  to  using  them  in  the  serv 
ice  were  willing  enough  that  they  should  take  the  place 
of  danger  in  difficult  operations  where  there  was  certain 
to  be  heavy  casualties. 

While  the  leaders  of  the  South  had  been  using  their 
negro  slaves  in  producing  food  supplies  for  their  armies, 
and  doing  the  hard  work  in  constructing  their  fortifica 
tions,  and  aiding  them  in  many  ways  in  their  military  op 
erations,  they  had  not  given  any  thought  to  the  idea  that 
the  Federal  Government  would  organize  the  colored  men 
into  regiments,  arm,  equip  and  drill  them  and  make  ef 
fective  soldiers  out  of  them  and  put  them  in  the  field 
where  they  would  make  an  important  contribution  in 
bringing  the  war  to  a  close. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  267 

CHAPTER  XV 
BATTLE  OF  ELK  CREEK 

With  the  arrival  of  supplies  for  the  army  at  Fort 
Gibson  for  a  month,  and  re-enforcements  of  cavalry,  in 
fantry  and  artillery  of  about  two  thousand  men,  the  at 
titude  of  the  Federal  forces  would  now  pass  from  defens 
ive  to  offensive  operations  against  the  enemy  who  were 
concentrating  at  Elk  Creek  after  their  decisive  defeat  at 
Cabin  Creek  on  the  second  of  July. 

A  good  deal  of  anxiety  had  been  manifested  by  the 
troops  at  the  post  in  regard  to  the  safety  of  the  train. 
Many  reports  and  rumors  were  current  of  large  Confede 
rate  forces  moving  north  on  the  east  and  west  sides  of 
Grand  River,  and  General  Cabell,  with  a  Confederate  force 
of  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  cavalry  and  artillery  from 
Western  Arkansas  marching  in  the  direction  of  Grand 
Saline,  where  he  would  cross  Grand  River  and  form  a  junc 
tion  with  the  other  Confederate  columns. 

In  addition  to  the  information  Colonel  Phillips  re 
ceived  from  his  scouts  he  had  out  watching  the  move 
ments  of  the  enemy,  Cherokee  women  living  east  of  Grand 
River,  on  hearing  of  or  seeing  a  Confederate  force  in  the 
neighborhood,  mounted  their  ponies  and  rode  into  Fort 
Gibson  and  reported  all  they  had  seen  and  heard.  When 
the  Federal  artillery  opened  fire  upon  the  Confederate 
position  at  Cabin  Creek  on  the  evening  of  July  1st  and  in 
the  morning  of  July  2nd,  Cherokee  women  rode  into  the 
post  and  reported  hearing  the  firing  two  days  before  the 
arrival  of  the  train;  they  were  excited  and  anxious  to 
know  the  result  of  the  engagement  which  they  knew  had 
taken  place  at  Cabin  Creek. 

After  the  commissary  supplies  had  been  unloaded  from 
the  train,  the  wagons  and  teams  were  ferried  back  over 
the  river  to  the  west  side,  which  took  nearly  all  one  night. 
The  escort  to  accompany  it  north  was  commanded  by 


268  Thz  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Colonel  Dole,  and  was  made  up  of  several  detachments 
from  the  Indian  regiments  and  the  battalion  of  the  Sixth 
Kansas  Cavalry  and  one  howitzer.  The  reported  move 
ments  of  General  Cabell  after  the  action  at  Cabin  Creek 
were  still  a  menace  to  the  returning  train  and  escort  on 
their  eastern  flank  and  were  given  consideration. 

To  guard  against  a  surprise  attack,  flankers  were  kept 
out  well  in  advance  of  the  train,  particularly  skirting  the 
timber  along  Grand  River  on  the  east,  and  careful  ex 
amination  was  made  for  any  fresh  trails  the  enemy  might 
make  in  marching  over  the  prairie  grass;  but  the  enemy 
had  not  rallied  after  their  precipitate  retreat  from  Cabin 
Creek,  and  the  train  and  escort  arrived  at  the  crossing 
of  the  stream  without  any  interruption,  to  find,  however, 
with  a  little  surprise,  General  Blunt  with  re-enforcements 
of  cavalry  and  artillery  on  his  way  to  Fort  Gibson  to  take 
command  of  all  the  troops  for  an  immediate  offensive 
campaign  against  the  Southern  forces  in  his  front. 

He  had  halted  a  few  hours  to  feed  and  rest ;  on  hear 
ing  of  the  attack  on  the  train  and  escort  at  that  point  on 
the  first,  and  fearing  that  the  enemy  might  be  blocking 
the  road  to  Fort  Gibson,  he  left  Fort  Scott  on  the  6th, 
and  by  making  forced  marches,  had  arrived  at  Cabin 
Creek  on  the  9th,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  in  three  days.  The  troops  he  had  with  him  were 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  William  R.  Judson,  Sixth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  and  consisted  of  a  battalion  of  that  regi 
ment,  and  two  twelve  pound  howitzers,  a  battalion  of  the 
Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  commanded  by  Captain  E.  R. 
Stevens,  and  two  sections  of  the  Second  Kansas  Battery, 
commanded  by  Captain  E.  A.  Smith,  in  all  about  six  hun 
dred  men. 

He  arrived  at  Fort  Gibson  on  the  llth,  and  com 
menced  immediate  preparations  to  cross  the  Arkansas  and 
attack  the  enemy  in  their  position  on  Elk  Creek,  twenty- 
five  miles  south  of  the  post.  His  presence  was  very  grrati- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  269 

fying  to  the  troops  and  people  after  nearly  three  months 
of  strenuous  effort  to  hold  the  position  there  and  keep 
the  bread  line  open,  and  arrangements  were  made  to  give 
him  a  reception  the  next  evening. 

Colonel  Phillips  presided  at  the  reception,  and  in  intro 
ducing  the  General  stated  that  that  feature  of  the  program 
was  not  necessary,  for  the  Indian  people  and  soldiers 
present  were  familiar  with  the  brilliant  achievements  of 
the  General  in  closing  the  campaign  of  last  year,  which  had 
to  his  credit  Newtonia,  Fort  Wayne,  Cane  Hill  and  Prairie 
Grove,  ending  in  the  capture  of  Van  Buren  and  destruction 
of  the  enemy's  steamboats  and  supplies  on  the  Arkansas 
River,  and  that  his  presence  was  a  guarantee  that  while 
he  was  in  the  field  the  enemy  would  not  find  it  convenient 
to  pitch  their  camps  as  near  that  post,  as  they  had  been 
doing  during  the  spring  when  the  Indian  command  was 
holding  the  most  advanced  position  of  any  Federal  force 
west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  that  he  had  no  doubt 
but  that  the  General  was  in  a  position  to  give  those  pres 
ent  information  of  very  great  interest  and  importance  in 
regard  to  the  operations  of  the  Union  armies  on  other 
fronts. 

General  Blunt  in  response  to  the  address  of  welcome, 
thanked  the  soldiers  and  people  for  their  loyal  and  hearty 
greeting,  stated  that  on  hearing  of  the  Confederate  attack 
on  the  supply  train  at  Cabin  Creek  he  had  hastily  col 
lected  at  Fort  Scott  about  five  hundred  cavalry  and  two 
howitzers,  and  two  sections  of  the  Second  Kansas  Battery, 
and  by  forced  march  reached  Cabin  Creek  in  three  days, 
a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles;  that  he  had 
been  in  a  position  to  know  the  situation  in  the  Indian 
country  while  he  was  in  command  of  the  Department, 
and  that  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  compliment  Colonel  Phillips 
and  the  troops  under  his  command  for  their  gallantry 
and  perseverance  in  holding  the  position  at  that  place 
under  so  many  disadvantages,  but  that  the  disadvantages 
were  now  at  an  end. 


270  Tht  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

The  General  went  on  to  state  further  that  before  leav 
ing  Fort  Scott  he  had  received  dispatches  announcing  that 
a  great  three  days'  battle  had  been  fought,  July  1,  2  and 
3,  between  the  Confederate  armies  under  General  Lee  and 
the  Union  armies  under  General  Mead  at  Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania,  in  which  the  Southern  armies  were  defeated 
and  driven  back  into  Virginia;  that  on  the  4th  of  July 
General  Grant  had  received  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg 
with  thirty  thousand  prisoners  and  hundreds  of  guns,  end 
ing  the  siege  of  that  place,  and  that  Generals  Holmes  and 
Price,  with  all  the  Confederate  troops  they  were  able  to 
concentrate  in  Arkansas,  made  an  attack  on  the  Federal 
forces  under  General  Prentiss  at  Helena,  on  the  4th  of 
July,  and  were  badly  defeated  with  the  loss  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  men  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  and  that 
everything  looked  bright  for  the  Union  cause. 

He  further  stated  that  the  military  operations  in  his 
department  were  closely  connected  with  military  operations 
in  the  Department  of  Missouri,  and  that  that  department 
had  been  so  depleted  of  troops  since  the  latter  part  of  the 
winter,  borrowed  for  conducting  siege  operations  against 
Vicksburg,  that  the  Department  commander  had  had  bare 
ly  sufficient  forces  at  his  disposal  to  maintain  order  in 
the  State,  and  none  to  spare  for  aggressive  movements 
such  as  were  now  contemplated  and  would  soon  be 
initiated. 

He  further  stated  that  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  had  re 
lieved  these  conditions;  that  the  troops  borrowed  from 
the  Department  of  Missouri  would  at  once  be  returned 
to  General  Schofield,  the  Department  commander,  who  was 
already  preparing  an  expedition  under  General  Steele,  to 
start  from  Helena  or  some  point  on  White  River  for  opera 
tions  against  Little  Rock,  with  the  hope  of  capturing  the 
place  in  a  few  weeks ;  that  he  had  requested  General  Scho 
field  to  send  him  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  which  he  looked 
for  by  the  early  part  of  August,  but  that  in  the  meantime 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  27] 

he  proposed  to  commence  active  operations  against  the 
enemy  in  his  front,  and  had  no  doubt  of  the  result  when 
the  opposing  forces  met. 

When  Colonel  Watie  and  the  officers  of  the  Texas 
regiments,  who  had  participated  with  him  in  the  action 
at  Cabin  Creek  in  their  efforts  to  capture  the  Federal 
supply  train,  returned  to  the  Confederate  camp  at  Elk 
Creek  and  reported  the  result  of  their  operations  to 
General  Cooper,  it  caused  almost  consternation;  a  council 
of  war  was  held  for  an  expression  of  views  to  determine 
the  further  movements  of  the  Confederate  forces. 

In  the  discussion  the  officers  who  had  taken  part 
in  the  action  spoke  of  the  large  re-enforcements  of  caval 
ry,  infantry  and  artillery  that  accompanied  the  train  to 
Fort  Gibson,  all  well  drilled  and  equipped  troops,  including 
the  "Nigger  Regiment,"  who  went  into  action  as  if  on 
parade  as  soon  as  the  stream  was  fordable,  and  that 
Colonel  Phillips,  commanding  the  Federal  forces,  knowing 
his  strength,  would,  no  doubt,  the  moment  the  Arkansas 
was  fordable,  cross  it  and  assume  the  offensive,  which 
they  should  take  immediate  measures  to  meet. 

It  was  suggested  by  a  member  of  the  council  that  in 
as  much  as  General  Cabell  had  not  been  able  to  come  to 
their  assistance  in  their  attack  on  the  train,  that  he  should 
be  advised  of  the  situation  at  once  and  requested  to  join 
them  with  as  little  delay  as  practicable  with  all  his  avail 
able  cavalry  and  artillery.  The  suggestion  was  concurred 
in,  and  General  Cooper  dispatched  a  courier  to  General 
Cabell's  headquarters  with  instructions  for  him  to  march 
immediately  by  the  most  practicable  route  with  his  entire 
force  and  join  the  Confederates  at  Elk  Creek,  where  it 
was  proposed  the  combined  forces  should  make  a  stand. 

In  the  further  discussion  of  the  situation,  members 
of  the  council  spoke  of  the  Arkansas  as  being  too  deep 
for  fording  for  cavalry  and  artillery  below  the  mouth  of 
Grand  River,  and  said  it  was  falling  and  would  probably 


272  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

be  fordable  in  a  few  days,  and  that  strong  pickets  should 
be  posted  at  all  the  fords  above  Webber's  Falls,  with  in 
structions  to  exercise  the  greatest  possible  vigilance  in 
watching  the  movements  of  the  Federal  forces,  to  guard 
against  a  surprise  attack,  and  that  the  moment  a  hostile 
movement  was  detected,  to  communicate  the  fact  im 
mediately  to  headquarters,  where  General  Cooper  would 
have  everything  in  readiness  to  meet  it  with  determination 
and  an  unconquerable  spirit. 

In  the  course  of  the  discussion  reference  was  made 
to  rumors  afloat  that  the  Southern  armies  in  the  east 
under  General  Lee  had  fought  a  great  battle,  lasting  three 
days,  in  which  he  had  been  severely  defeated  and  driven 
back  into  Virginia;  that  the  large  Southern  army  defend 
ing  Vicksburg,  after  a  long  siege,  had  been  compelled  to 
surrender  to  General  Grant  with  nearly  thirty  thousand 
troops  and  all  its  artillery  and  supplies,  and  that  Lieuten 
ant-General  Holmes,  commanding  the  Department  of  Ar 
kansas,  including  the  District  of  the  Indian  Territory,  had, 
on  the  4th  of  July,  with  all  his  available  forces,  attacked 
the  Federal  forces  under  General  Prentiss  at  Helena,  and 
had  been  badly  defeated,  with  the  loss  of  2,500  men  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners,  and  that  these  disasters  to  the 
Confederate  cause  should  be  denied  or  minimized  to  the 
troops,  or  they  would  have  the  effect  of  depressing  their 
morale,  which  had  already  suffered  from  the  unsuccessful 
operations  the  last  few  months,  and  that  among  other 
rumors  afloat  were,  that  after  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  a 
large  number  of  the  Federal  troops  employed  in  conducting 
the  siege  were  being  returned  to  the  Commander  of  the 
Department  of  Missouri,  who  was  organizing  an  expedition 
under  Federal  General  Steele,  at  Helena,  or  some  point  on 
White  River,  for  the  capture  of  Little  Rock,  and  that  a 
column  of  Federal  troops  was  being  prepared  to  march 
from  Southwest  Missouri  into  Northwest  Arkansas  in  co 
operation  with  the  forces  under  General  Blunt. 


Th$  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.          273 

Feeling  that  events  were  rapidly  approaching  a  crisis, 
General  Cooper  organized  his  forces  for  meeting  the  antici 
pated  attack  in  the  following  order:  His  right  wing  con 
sisted  of  the  First  and  Second  Cherokee  Regiments,  Colonel 
Watie  commanding;  his  left  wing  was  composed  of  the 
First  and  Second  Creek  Regiments,  Colonel  D.  N.  Mclntosh 
commanding;  his  center  was  composed  of  the  Twentieth 
Texas  dismounted  cavalry,  Twenty-ninth  Texas  Cavalry, 
and  Fifth  Texas  Partisan  Rangers,  Colonel  Thomas  C. 
Bass,  senior  Colonel,  commanding;  and  his  reserve  con 
sisted  of  the  squadrons  of  Captains  John  Scanland  and 
L.  E.  Gillett,  and  the  First  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  Regi 
ment,  Colonel  Tandy  Walker  commanding,  with  Captain 
Lee's  Battery  ready  for  action  on  any  part  of  the  field. 

On  his  arrival  at  Fort  Gibson  General  Blunt  organized 
his  troops  for  offensive  operations  against  the  enemy  into 
two  brigades  as  follows :  The  First  Brigade,  Colonel  Wil 
liam  R.  Judson  commanding,  consisting  of  the  First  Kan 
sas  Colored  Infantry,  Colonel  James  M.  Williams;  the  Sec 
ond  Indian  Regiment  dismounted  as  infantry,  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Fred  W.  Schaurte;  a  battalion  of  the  Sixth  Kansas 
Cavalry  and  two  howitzers;  a  battalion  of  the  Third  Wis 
consin  Cavalry  and  two  howitzers,  under  Captain  E.  R. 
Stevens;  and  four  guns  of  the  Second  Kansas  Battery 
under  Captain  E.  A.  Smith. 

The  Second  Brigade,  Colonel  William  A.  Phillips  com 
manding,  was  composed  of  six  companies  of  the  Second 
Colorado  Infantry,  Lieutenant  Colonel  T.  H.  Dodd  command 
ing;  the  First  Indian  Regiment,  dismounted  as  infantry, 
Colonel  S.  A.  Wattles  commanding;  and  Hopkins'  Kansas 
Battery,  Captain  Henry  Hopkins  commanding. 

Scouts  sent  out  by  Colonel  Phillips  to  watch  the  move 
ments  of  General  Cabell  after  the  action  of  Cabin  Creek, 
returned  and  reported  that  he  had  swung  around  in  the 
direction  of  Fort  Smith  and  had  received  instructions  from 
General  Cooper  to  move  forward  as  rapidly  as  practicable 


274  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

and  re-enforce  him  at  Elk  Creek.  This  information  was 
communicated  to  General  Blunt  on  his  arrival  at  Fort 
Gibson,  and  he  determined  to  cross  the  Arkansas  and  at 
tack  Cooper  before  the  arrival  of  General  Cabell  with 
re-enforcements. 

As  the  Arkansas  was  not  fordable  at  any  point  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Verdigris,  he  had  flatboats  constructed 
for  taking  over  some  of  his  troops,  artillery  and  ammuni 
tion,  and  by  the  time  these  preparations  were  completed, 
the  river  commenced  falling,  and  on  July  15th,  his  scouts 
reported  that  it  was  fordable  a  short  distance  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Verdigris. 

He  was  impatient  of  any  delay  in  his  movement,  and 
after  midnight  he  took  the  battalion  of  the  Sixth  Kansas 
Cavalry,  with  the  two  howitzers  and  a  section  of  the  Kan 
sas  Battery,  and  crossed  the  Verdigris  and  Arkansas, 
twelve  miles  above  Fort  Gibson  without  opposition,  and 
marching  rapidly  down  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas,  was 
anxious  to  capture  the  Confederate  pickets  guarding  the 
fords  of  the  river. 

He  was  unable  to  accomplish  this  part  of  his  plan 
of  operations;  the  Confederate  pickets  heard  of  his  move 
ment  in  time  to  escape  to  General  Cooper's  main  outpost, 
four  or  five  miles  north  of  Elk  Creek,  and  the  officer  in 
command  of  it,  at  once  dispatched  one  of  his  mounted  de 
tachment  to  report  to  General  Cooper  the  advance  of  the 
Federal  forces. 

Having  failed  to  capture  the  Confederate  pickets,  Gen 
eral  Blunt  continued  his  march  down  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Arkansas  to  the  mouth  of  Grand  River,  where  he 
commenced  crossing  his  troops  over  in  boats,  and  com 
pleting  the  work  by  ten  o'clock  that  night,  resumed  the 
march  south  on  the  Texas  road,  and  at  daylight  came  upon 
the  enemy  outpost  five  miles  north  of  Elk  Creek.  His 
cavalry  advance,  under  Captain  Gordon,  Sixth  Kansas, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  275 

charged  them  and  drove  them  back  upon  the  main  force, 
after  he  had  been  re-enforced  by  three  other  companies  of 
the  battalion,  which  were  brought  up  at  a  gallop. 

There  was  a  strong  force  of  Choctaws  and  Texans 
at  this  outpost,  which  led  General  Blunt  for  a  moment  to 
believe  that  General  Cooper  had  determined  to  meet  him 
at  that  point,  and  he  commenced  to  form  his  line  as  his 
troops  came  up.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Confederates 
retired  on  their  main  force.  The  Federal  advance  moved 
forward  again  until  it  came  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
timber  on  Elk  Creek,  where  it  halted  and  a  company  from 
the  battalion  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  was  thrown 
forward  to  reconnoiter  the  position  of  the  enemy,  and  soon 
found  that  their  line  was  formed  in  the  timber  about  half 
a  mile  in  length  on  each  side  of  the  Texas  road. 

General  Blunt,  with  some  members  of  his  staff  and 
escort,  rode  forward  with  this  advance  cavalry  to  examine 
the  Confederate  position  and  to  ascertain  where  General 
Cooper's  battery  was  posted,  and  getting  a  good  view  of 
the  topography  of  the  ground  over  which  he  would  ma 
neuver  his  troops,  left  the  companies  of  the  Sixth  Kansas 
on  the  skirmish  line  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy, 
and  rode  back  and  halted  the  head  of  the  column,  and  all 
his  troops  as  they  came  up,  behind  a  ridge  in  the  prairie, 
about  half  a  mile  in  front  of  the  Confederate  line,  for  an 
hour's  rest  and  refreshments  of  food  from  their  haver 
sacks,  and  to  prepare  for  action. 

His  troops  of  all  arms  were  much  in  need  of  an  hour 
or  so  rest;  they  had  been  marching  all  night  and  up  to 
eight  o'clock  that  morning,  and  as  he  was  a  practicing 
physician  up  to  the  war,  he  knew  that  this  rest  and  time  to 
eat  their  lunches,  would  make  them  more  efficient  in 
performing  their  duties  in  the  operations  laid  out  for  them. 

This  halt  served  another  purpose.  Just  before  the 
column  halted,  a  hard  shower  of  rain  came  up,  lasting 
perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour  and  filling  all  the  little  de- 


276  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  tht  Civil  War. 

pressions  along  the  road  with  water,  from  which  many  of 
the  soldiers  filled  their  canteens,  which  had  become  empty 
during  the  night's  march,  and  then  after  the  downpour, 
the  halt  had  given  the  men  an  opportunity  to  examine 
their  cartridge  boxes  to  see  whether  their  ammunition  was 
dry  and  in  condition  for  immediate  use.  Having  rested 
and  refreshed  his  troops  on  the  prairie  for  more  than  an 
hour,  and  having  instructed  his  brigade  commanders  the 
parts  they  were  to  take  in  the  engagement,  he  formed 
his  whole  force  into  two  columns,  the  First  Brigade  under 
Colonel  Judson  on  the  right  of  the  road,  and  the  Second 
Brigade  under  Colonel  Phillips  on  the  left  of  the  road,  and 
moved  forward,  the  infantry  in  close  columns  of  companies, 
the  cavalry  by  platoons,  and  the  artillery  by  sections. 

By  advancing  in  this  order,  he  desired  in  coming  onto 
the  field  to  deceive  the  enemy  as  to  his  strength;  on  ar 
riving  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  timber  in  which 
the  Confederate  line  was  formed,  his  two  columns  suddenly 
deployed  to  the  right  and  left  into  line  of  battle,  covering 
the  Confederate  front,  which  appeared  to  be  more  than  a 
mile  in  length. 

This  movement  was  as  spectacular  as  if  the  troops  were 
on  the  drill  ground ;  as  they  came  into  line,  the  First  Kan 
sas  Colored  Infantry  formed  on  the  left  of  the  First 
Brigade  on  the  right  of  the  Texas  road,  supporting  the  two 
sections  of  Captain  Smith's  battery,  a  short  distance  in 
their  front. 

While  the  batteries  were  going  into  positions  for  open 
ing  fire  upon  the  enemy,  Colonel  Williams  rode  to  the  front 
of  his  regiment  and  spoke  in  a  clear,  ringing  voice,  "At 
tention!"  In  a  moment  his  men  were  standing  at  atten 
tion.  He  then  said,  "This  is  the  day  we  have  been  patiently 
waiting  for;  the  enemy  at  Cabin  Creek  did  not  wait  to 
give  you  an  opportunity  of  showing  them  what  men  can  do 
fighting  for  their  natural  rights  and  for  their  recently 
acquired  freedom  and  the  freedom  of  their  children  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War*  271 

their  children's  children.  I  am  proud  of  your  soldierly 
appearance;  and  it  is  especially  gratifying  to  know  that 
it  has  been  by  my  strenuous  efforts  in  drilling  you,  in 
handling  you,  and  providing  for  you  the  past  months,  that 
I  find  you  in  such  splendid  condition,  physically  and  in 
morale.  We  are  going  to  engage  the  enemy  in  a  few 
moments  and  I  am  going  to  lead  you.  We  are  engaged  in 
a  holy  war;  in  the  history  of  the  world,  soldiers  never 
fought  for  a  holier  cause  than  the  cause  for  which  the 
Union  soldiers  are  fighting,  the  preservation  of  the  Union 
and  the  equal  rights  and  freedom  of  all  men.  You  know 
what  the  soldiers  of  the  Southern  armies  are  fighting 
for;  you  know  that  they  are  fighting  for  the  continued  ex 
istence  and  extension  of  slavery  on  this  continent,  and  if 
they  are  successful,  to  take  you  and  your  wives  and  chil 
dren  back  into  slavery.  You  know  it  is  common  report 
that  the  Confederate  troops  boast  that  they  will  not  give 
quarters  to  colored  troops  and  their  officers,  and  you 
know  that  they  did  not  give  any  quarters  to  your  comrades 
in  the  fight  with  the  forage  detachment  near  Sherwood 
last  May.  Show  the  enemy  this  day  that  you  are  not  ask 
ing  for  quarter,  and  that  you  know  how  and  are  eager  to 
fight  for  your  freedom  and  finally,  keep  cool  and  do  not 
fire  until  you  receive  the  order,  and  then  aim  deliberately 
below  the  waist  belt.  The  people  of  the  whole  country  will 
read  the  reports  of  your  conduct  in  this  engagement;  let 
it  be  that  of  brave,  disciplined  men." 

Continuing  the  formation  of  the  Federal  line:  The 
Second  Indian  Regiment  formed  on  the  right  of  the  colored 
infantry,  and  the  battalion  of  the  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry, 
with  two  howitzers,  formed  on  the  right  of  the  Second 
Indian  Regiment. 

Coming  now  to  the  Second  Brigade :  The  Second  Colo 
rado  Infantry  formed  on  the  right  on  the  left  of  the  road, 
and  on  the  left  of  the  Colored  Infantry.  The  First  Indian 
Regiment  formed  on  the  left  of  the  Second  Colorado,  and 
the  battalion  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry  with  two  how- 


278  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

itzers,  formed  on  the  left  of  the  First  Indian  Regiment, 
having  been  assigned  to  this  position  in  the  Second  Brigade 
after  the  troops  came  onto  the  field.  Hopkins'  Battery  was 
assigned  to  a  position  in  front  of  the  Second  Colorado. 

Having  ample  time  for  preparation  for  the  pending 
engagement  General  Cooper  had  his  lines  formed  on  both 
sides  of  the  Texas  road  along  the  edge  of  the  timber  on 
the  north  side  of  Elk  Creek  when  the  Union  troops  came 
in  sight.  He  had  the  Twentieth  Texas,  dismounted  cav 
alry,  under  Colonel  Thomas  C.  Bass,  form  his  left  center; 
the  Twenty-ninth  Texas  Cavalry,  under  Colonel  Charles 
De  Morse,  and  the  Fifth  Texas  Partisan  Rangers,  under 
Colonel  L.  M.  Martin,  formed  his  right  center.  His  right 
wing  was  composed  of  the  First  and  Second  Cherokee  Regi 
ments,  commanded  by  Colonel  Watie,  and  his  left  wing  was 
composed  of  the  First  and  Second  Creek  Regiments,  com 
manded  by  Colonel  D.  N.  Mclntosh.  His  reserve  consisted 
of  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  Regiment,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Tandy  Walker,  and  two  squadrons  of  Texas  cavalry, 
commanded  by  Captains  Scanland  and  Gillett,  and  was 
posted  near  his  headquarters  at  Honey  Springs,  about  two 
miles  in  his  rear.  His  battery  under  Captain  R.  W.  Lee 
occupied  a  position  in  front  of  the  Twentieth  Texas,  and 
was  supported  by  that  regiment  during  the  engagement. 

Having  made  disposition  of  his  troops  for  action,  Gen 
eral  Blunt,  after  they  came  into  line,  threw  out  a  skirm 
ish  line  and  moved  forward  until  he  drew  the  fire  of  the 
Confederate  artillery,  when  he  halted  and  directed  Captain 
Smith,  commanding  the  battery  on  the  right,  and  Captain 
Hopkins,  commanding  the  battery  on  the  left,  to  open  fire 
on  the  Confederate  battery,  as  revealed  by  the  smoke  of 
each  discharge,  which  they  did,  using  shot  and  shell  and 
canister,  which  was  continued  for  more  than  an  hour,  dis 
mounting  one  of  the  Confederate  guns,  and  causing  the 
withdrawal  of  the  other  pieces. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  279 

While  this  contest  wa^  going  on  between  the  batteries 
of  the  belligerent  forces  the  Federal  cavalry  on  the  right 
and  left  of  General  Blunt's  line  had  dismounted  and  were 
skirmishing  in  the  timber  with  the  Southern  Indians  and 
Texans,  whose  movements  were  a  threat  of  flanking  the 
Federal  position.  Three  companies  of  the  Sixth  Kansas, 
however,  were  dismounted  and  sent  into  the  timber  as 
skirmishers,  on  the  extreme  left,  and  after  hot  work  for 
more  than  an  hour,  drove  the  enemy  back  with  the  as 
sistance  of  Colonel  Wattles,  who,  with  the  First  Indian 
Regiment,  made  a  charge  and  forced  them  back  across  the 
creek. 

Turning  to  operations  in  the  center.  The  Colored 
Infantry  had  been  standing  in  line  and  advanced  the  mo 
ment  the  artillery  ceased  firing  to  attack  the  Confederate 
position  in  the  timber,  which  had  been  concealed  from  view 
until  they  had  approached  within  forty  to  fifty  yards  of 
it,  when  Colonel  Williams  gave  the  order  to  his  regiment, 
"Ready,  aim,  fire !"  at  almost  the  same  instant  that  Colonel 
De  Morse  had  ordered  his  regiment,  the  Twentieth  Texas, 
to  fire,  and  immediately  there  burst  forth  from  the  oppos 
ing  forces  two  lines  of  smoke  and  flame  and  death  dealing 
missiles,  and  a  terrific  roar  of  small  arms. 

In  the  volley  delivered  by  the  Confederates,  Colonel 
Williams  had  his  horse  killed,  and  also  fell  himself  severely 
wounded  in  the  breast  and  face  and  hands  and  had  to  be 
borne  to  the  rear,  and  the  volley  from  his  men  also  severely 
wounded  in  the  right  arm  Colonel  De  Morse,  the  Confed 
erate  commander  in  his  front,  together  with  a  number  of 
his  men  in  the  front  line.  This  was  the  first  time  the 
Texas  colonel  had  faced  colored  troops  on  the  battle  field. 

After  Colonel  Williams  was  wounded  and  taken  to  the 
rear,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bowles  assumed  command  of  the 
regiment  and  ordered  his  men  to  fall  upon  the  ground  with 
their  heads  raised  sufficiently  to  scan  the  sights  of  their 
Springfield  muskets,  and  to  continue  the  firing,  loading 
and  firing,  until  the  enemy's  line  yielded. 


2M  TkelUnion  Indian  Brigade  iri^the  Civil  War. 

During  this  firing  some  of  Colonel  Schaurte's  mounted 
men  of  the  Second  Indian  Regiment  were  passing  in  the 
brush  between  the  right  of  the  Colored  Infantry  and  the 
enemy  in  the  line  of  fire,  and  Colonel  Bowles  ordered  them 
back  to  the  right,  and  Colonel  De  Morse  commanding  the 
Texas  regiment  in  front,  hearing  the  order  and  supposing 
that  it  was  for  the  colored  regiment  to  retire,  advanced  to 
within  twenty-five  paces  of  it  when  the  men  rose  from  the 
ground  and  delivered  a  volley  into  the  Texans,  which  sent 
them  back  in  disorder  and  confusion,  with  a  number  of 
men  severely  wounded. 

In  this  volley  the  color  bearer  of  the  Texans  was  shot 
down;  the  colors  were  raised  again  a  moment  later  and 
again  the  color  bearer  was  shot  down  and  the  colors  picked 
up  by  Colonel  Schaurte's  Indians  when  they  passed  to  the 
front  as  skirmishers,  and  soon  compelled  the  Southern  In 
dians  to  retire  across  Elk  Creek.  In  co-operation  with  this 
movement,  Captain  Stevens  commanding  the  battalion  of 
the  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  who  was  posted  on  the  ex 
treme  right  of  the  Federal  line,  dismounted  part  of  his 
men  to  skirmish  in  the  brush  and  timber,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  his  howitzers,  forced  the  left  of  the  Confed 
erate  line  back  upon  their  center,  capturing  eight  prisoners. 

Before  the  Confederate  center  commenced  to  yield, 
three  companies  of  the  right  wing  of  the  Second  Colorado 
Infantry,  on  the  left  of  the  Colored  Infantry,  came  near 
being  cut  off  and  captured  while  the  Federal  line  was  ad 
vancing  through  the  brush,  which  was  thick  enough  in 
places  with  the  leaves  and  heavy  foliage  to  hide  a  foe  a  few 
yards  in  advance.  In  the  forward  movement  in  progress, 
these  companies  had  got  out  of  alignment,  had  got  as  much 
perhaps  as  twenty  paces  in  advance  of  the  left  of  the 
line  of  the  Colored  Infantry,  and  coming  to  an  impassable 
ditch  or  washout  directly  in  their  front,  filed  to  the  right 
and  crossed  it  just  in  front  of  the  left  of  the  line  of  the 
Colored  Infantry,  and  then  filing  to  the  left,  came  into  line, 
but  still  in  advance  of  the  Colored  Infantry  on  their  right. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  28! 

Having  executed  this  movement  the  companies  were 
surprised  by  a  Confederate  force  which  had  been  lying 
down  behind  the  ditch  concealed  in  the  brush,  but  now 
between  them  and  the  ditch,  who  rose  up  and  delivered  a 
volley  into  their  ranks  and  endeavored  to  cut  them  off  and 
would  have  succeeded  in  another  moment,  but  seeing  the 
critical  situation  of  the  Colorado  men,  the  left  wing  of  the 
colored  regiment  was  ordered  to  oblique  to  the  left,  and 
coming  up  within  less  than  fifty  yards  of  the  Confederate 
forces,  poured  several  heavy  volleys  of  musketry  into  it, 
which  caused  it  to  break,  and  endeavor  to  escape  in  the 
direction  of  the  Colorado  men,  who,  now,  realizing  the  sit 
uation,  and  seeing  the  enemy  in  confusion,  turned  and 
opened  fire  upon  them  only  a  few  yards  distant,  killing  and 
wounding  several  men,  and  taking  some  prisoners. 

In  co-operation  with  these  movements  in  the  center  of 
the  Federal  line,  Colonel  Wattles  with  the  First  Indian 
Regiment  on  the  left  of  the  Second  Colorado,  and  the  Sixth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  on  the  left  of  the  First  Indian,  had  entered 
the  timber  and  were  driving  the  Southern  Indians  under 
Colonel  Watie,  and  the  Texans  supporting  him,  back  upon 
Elk  Creek,  and  soon  compelled  them  to  cross  to  the  south 
side  at  the  lower  ford. 

On  this  part  of  the  field  the  Federal  troops  were  fight 
ing  dismounted  through  the  brush  and  timber,  the  Con 
federates  were  in  disorder  and  confusion,  being  forced  to 
retire  to  the  south  side  of  Elk  Creek,  leaving  one  of  their 
guns,  which  had  been  dismounted,  and  the  tents  and  camp 
equipage  of  one  regiment  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Union  forces. 

The  Confederate  officers  rallied  some  of  their  troops 
to  hold  the  bridge  over  the  creek  and  some  of  the  fords, 
but  they  were  quickly  driven  from  their  positions  by  the 
Federal  Infantry,  firing  as  they  advanced,  and  by  shell  and 
canister  by  the  guns  of  Captain  Hopkins'  battery*  which 
had  moved  forward  and  taken  up  the  position  just  oc- 


282  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

cupied  by  the  Confederate  battery,  one  of  the  guns  of 
which,  the  dismounted  piece,  was  lying  on  the  ground  near 
the  corner  of  the  field. 

There  was  no  easing  up  of  the  operations  of  the  Union 
forces  on  any  part  of  their  line.  After  the  Southern 
troops  were  driven  from  all  their  positions  on  Elk  Creek, 
General  Blunt's  forces  crossed  to  the  south  side  and  pur 
sued  the  enemy  about  three  miles  south,  or  a  mile  or  so 
south  of  Honey  Springs,  the  Confederate  headquarters, 
where  their  supplies  were  stored,  the  buildings  of  which 
they  fired  in  their  hurried  retreat.  They  were  pressed  so 
closely  by  the  Federal  forces  that  they  were  barely  able 
to  get  their  baggage  trains  out  of  the  way. 

It  was  found  on  the  arrival  of  the  Federal  soldiers 
that  one  of  the  Confederate  commissary  buildings  had  not 
yet  burned  past  saving  and  the  fire  was  immediately  ex 
tinguished.  It  contained  large  quantities  of  bacon,  flour, 
salt  and  dried  beef,  from  which  the  tired  and  hungry  vic 
torious  soldiers  made  a  bountiful  supper  after  they  had 
been  recalled  from  the  pursuit. 

There  was  the  usual  curiosity  of  the  soldiers,  white, 
colored  and  Indian,  in  looking  over  the  ground  of  the  Con 
federate  headquarters  for  loot  or  anything  worth  bringing 
away,  and  the  soldiers  of  the  Colored  Regiment  inspected 
with  a  good  deal  of  interest  three  or  four  hundred  hand 
cuffs  found  in  one  of  the  depot  buildings,  which  the 
Southern  troops  had  there  for  the  purpose  of  putting  on 
the  colored  soldiers  they  expected  to  capture  and  send 
back  south  as  trophies  of  their  valor. 

The  history  of  the  handcuffs  found  was  obtained  from 
a  colored  man,  David  Griffith,  who  was  a  servant,  waiting 
on  Major  J.  A.  Carroll  of  one  of  General  Cooper's  regi 
ments  of  Texans  at  the  time  of  the  battle,  and  who  left 
him  and  came  to  the  Colored  Regiment  at  Fort  Smith  in 
September  and  enlisted  in  Company  G  of  that  regiment  and 
served  his  time  out,  and  he  stated  that  he  frequently 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  283 

heard  Southern  officers  say  that  the  handcuffs  were 
brought  there  to  be  put  on  colored  soldiers  they  expected 
to  capture  and  send  back  south  in  their  operations. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  talk  at  the  time  by  people 
on  both  sides  as  to  whether  colored  soldiers  would  fight, 
and  Mr.  Griffith  said  that  he  frequently  heard  Southern 
officers  talking  among  themselves,  say  they  did  not  believe 
colored  soldiers  would  fight,  and  that  all  the  Southern 
troops  would  have  to  do  would  be  to  march  up  to  the 
colored  men  and  take  them  in,  as  they  would  a  herd  of 
stock  in  a  pasture. 

Nor  was  the  belief  that  colored  soldiers  would  not 
fight  confined  to  Southern  officers  at  that  time;  it  was 
the  subject  of  heated  argument  between  Union  officers  and 
soldiers,  and  among  the  people  throughout  the  North, 
thojse  who  were  opposed  to  continuing  the  war  to  a  suc 
cessful  issue,  and  to  enlisting  and  arming  the  colored  men, 
maintaining  the  negative,  and  those  who  were  in  favor  of 
prosecuting  the  war  to  a  successful  issue,  and  enlisting  and 
arming  the  colored  men,  maintaining  the  affirmative.  These 
discussions  were  around  the  camp  fire£,  and  wherever 
groups  of  people  were  assembled  and  issues  of  the  war  were 
the  subject  of  conversation. 

Colonel  Williams,  who  was  familiar  with  the  argu 
ments  of  both  sides  and  with  the  disparaging  comments 
in  regard  to  enlisting  colored  soldiers,  and  who  had  great 
faith  that  they  would  acquit  themselves  creditably  if  given 
a  fair  opportunity,  when  the  battle  was  over,  and  the 
troops  recalled  from  the  pursuit,  sent  for  General  Blunt 
to  come  and  see  him  in  the  field  hospital  where  he  was 
suffering  from  his  wounds. 

Every  one  who  knew  the  Colonel  well  knew  that  he 
always  talked  as  if  he  was  grinding  his  molars  or  gritting 
his  teeth.  When  the  General  came  in  the  first  thing  he 
said  to  him  was,  "General,  how  did  my  regiment  fight?" 
The  General  replied,  "Like  veterans;  most  gallantly,  Sir," 


284  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

and  the  Colonel  added,  "I  am  now  ready  to  die."  It  was 
a  great  satisfaction  to  him  to  know  that  his  regiment  had 
creditably  met  the  test  that  tries  the  courage  of  men  in 
the  ordeal  of  battle. 

After  that  the  Colonel  was  proud  of  the  achievements 
of  his  regiment,  and  he  was  absent  from  it  no  longer  than 
the  nature  of  his  wounds  made  necessary,  and  no  one  was 
afterwards  in  that  part  of  the  army  heard  asserting  that 
colored  soldiers  would  not  fight.  They  had  by  their  valor 
on  the  field  destroyed  a  prejudice  that  had  been  hampering 
army  operations ;  they  had  shown  that  there  was  no  excuse 
for  with-holding  their  enlistment  and  organization  for 
combat  troops  in  the  war. 

Having  routed  the  enemy  and  driven  them  several 
miles  beyond  the  scene  of  conflict,  General  Blunt  recalled 
his  troops  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  went 
into  camp  on  the  battle  field,  where  he  remained  until 
five  o'clock  the  next  evening,  collecting  the  wounded  and 
burying  the  dead  of  both  sides,  and  resting  his  men  and 
animals. 

After  having  destroyed  the  tents  and  camp  equip 
age  of  one  regiment,  fifteen  wagons,  and  all  the  depot 
buildings  and  the  supplies  in  them  which  he  could  not  use, 
he  returned  to  Fort  Gibson  to  await  re-enforcements  from 
Southwest  Missouri,  having  accomplished  the  purpose  of 
the  expedition,  that  is,  to  strike  General  Cooper's  force 
and  beat  it  and  demoralize  it  before  the  arrival  of  re-en 
forcements  under  General  Cabell  from  Arkansas. 

In  this  engagement,  General  Blunt  reported  his  loss 
17  killed  and  60  wounded,  and  that  he  took  77  prisoners, 
one  piece  of  artillery,  one  stand  of  colors,  and  200  stands 
of  arms.  He  also  reported  that  his  troops  buried  150 
Confederate  dead,  and  that  they  had  400  wounded. 

General  Cooper  reported  his  loss  at  134  killed  and 
wounded;  he  attributed  his  defeat  to  the  worthless  condi 
tion  of  the  powder  his  troop^  used,  stating  that  on  a  damp 
morning  or  in  damp  weather  it  became  paste-like  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  flie  Civil  War.  285 

would  not  ignite,  and  that  just  before  the  battle  opened,  a 
hard  shower  of  rain  came  up  and  wet  the  ammunition  of 
some  of  his  men,  who  were  obliged  to  return  to  camp  and 
have  it  replaced  with  dry  powder.  In  the  operations  that 
day,  he  had  eight  regiments  and  two  squadrons  of  cavalry, 
to  General  Blunt's  three  regiments  and  three  battalions; 
but  to  make  up  for  inferiority  in  numbers,  General  Blunt 
had  eight  field  pieces  and  four  howitzers,  to  General  Coop 
er's  one  four-gun  battery. 

General  Blunt  made  his  movement  just  in  time  to 
escape  a  hard  struggle  or  possible  defeat.  The  roar  of  his 
guns  had  been  silent  only  three  or  four  hours  when  the 
advance  of  General  Cabell  with  a  brigade  of  more  than 
two  thousand  Arkansas  cavalry  and  four  pieces  of  artillery, 
was  reported  to  General  Cooper  as  coming  in  sight  from 
the  direction  of  Fort  Smith. 

Even  with  this  substantial  re-enforcement,  his  troops 
were  too  much  scattered  and  demoralized  to  be  brought 
into  action  without  re-organization,  which  would  require 
some  time,  and  the  combined  Confederate  forces  retired 
south  of  the  Canadian  River  where  they  encamped  until 
July  22d,  when,  under  instructions  from  General  Steele,  they 
took  up  a  position  at  Prairie  Springs  fifteen  miles  southeast 
of  Fort  Gibson,  south  of  the  Arkansas,  with  the  view  of 
moving  still  closer  to  that  place  on  the  arrival  of  re-en 
forcement  of  a  brigade  of  Texas  cavalry  under  General 
Smith  R.  Bankhead,  who  was  reported  on  the  march  north 
from  Red  River. 

While  waiting  for  General  Bankhead 's  brigade,  the 
desertions  from  Cabell's  brigade  became  so  alarming  and 
demoralizing  that  the  Confederate  commander  deemed  it 
advisable  to  move  back  again  to  the  south  side  of  the  Cana 
dian,  which  terminated  the  threatening  attitude  of  the 
Confederate  forces  in  front  of  Fort  Gibson  to  prevent  re- 
enforcements  and  supplies  from  reaching1  that  place. 


286  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

CHAPTER  XVI 
FEDERAL  OCCUPATION  OF  FORT  SMITH 

The  fall  of  Vicksburg,  the  defeat  of  Generals  Holmes 
and  Price  at  Helena,  and  the  organization  of  an  expedition 
against  Little  Rock  under  General  Steele,  enabled  General 
Schofield  to  make  new  dispositions  of  his  forces  in  South 
west  Missouri;  to  push  operations  and  occupy  Western 
Arkansas,  and  to  re-enforce  General  Blunt  at  Fort  Gib 
son  so  that  he  could  take  the  offensive  against  Confederate 
Generals  Steele  and  Cooper,  who  were  concentrating  their 
forces  south  of  the  Arkansas. 

Brigadier  General  John  McNeil  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  District  of  Southwest  Missouri,  with  head 
quarters  at  Springfield,  about  the  middle  of  July,  relieving 
Colonel  W.  F.  Cloud,  who  desired  to  go  into  the  field  with 
such  troops  as  could  be  spared  from  that  district,  to 
participate  in  the  general  advance  being  made  by  the 
forces  in  that  department.  The  Colonel  had  led  his  regi 
ment,  the  Second  Kansas,  through  the  battle  of  Wilson 
Creek  in  August,  1861,  after  the  fall  of  Colonel  Mitchell, 
and  he  was  known  as  one  of  the  most  active  and  energetic 
officers  in  the  Army  of  the  Frontier,  and  was  given  a 
brigade  with  instructions  to  move  through  Northwestern 
Arkansas,  thence  to  Fort  Gibson  to  re-enforce  General 
Blunt.  He  arrived  at  Cassville  the  latter  part  of  July, 
where  he  spent  a  few  days  preparing  his  command  to 
move  south.  On  leaving  that  place  his  brigade  consisted  of 
the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  the  First  Arkansas  Infantry, 
and  two  sections  of  Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Battery.  At 
Bentonville  he  was  advised  by  General  McNeil  that  Colonel 
Catherwood,  commanding  the  Sixth  Missouri  State  Militia 
Cavalry,  and  Major  Eno,  commanding  a  battalion  of  the 
Eighth  Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  who  were  completing 
an  expedition  against  Colonel  Coffee  in  McDonald  county, 
had  been  instructed  to  report  to  him,  and  that  with  the 
forces  under  his  command,  he  would  report  to  General  Blunt 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  287 

at  Fort  Gibson  and  co-operate  with  him  in  a  movement 
against  the  Confederate  forces  south  of  the  Arkansas.  He 
arrived  at  Fort  Gibson  on  the  21st  of  August,  and  crossed 
the  Arkansas  with  General  Blunt's  forces  to  commence 
operations  against  the  Southern  forces  under  Generals 
Steele  and  Cooper,  then  south  of  the  Canadian  River.  Be 
fore  leaving  Cassville  he  desired  to  clean  out  the  Southern 
partisan  bands  in  Southwest  Missouri  and  Northwest 
Arkansas  and  not  leave  them  as  a  menace  to  General 
Blunt's  line  of  communication  between  Fort  Gibson  and 
Fort  Scott.  Before  relinquishing  command  at  Springfield, 
he  had  been  informed  of  the  death  of  Major  Tom  Livings 
ton  of  the  Southern  Partisan  Rangers  of  Jasper  county  on 
the  llth  of  July  at  Stockton  in  an  attack  on  the  Missouri 
Militia  at  that  place.  He  knew  also  of  the  successful  ex 
pedition  of  Colonel  Catherwood  against  Colonel  Coffee's 
Southern  Partisan  bands  of  several  hundred  men,  who 
were  attacked  at  Pineville  by  the  Union  Militia  and  com 
pletely  routed,  with  the  loss  of  sixty  to  seventy  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners,  and  the  loss  of  their  trains  and 
supplies,  and  he  felt  that  he  could  now  safely  march  to 
re-enforce  General  Blunt  without  leaving  any  threatening 
hostile  forces  in  his  rear.  He  also  had  reason  to  hope  that 
Colonel  Harrison  at  Cassville  would  be  ordered  back  to 
Fayetteville  in  a  short  time. 

When  the  forces  from  Southwest  Missouri  under 
Colonel  Cloud  joined  him,  General  Blunt  had  an  effective 
strength  of  about  forty-five  hundred  men  south  of  the 
Arkansas,  and  General  Steele  had  an  effective  strength, 
counting  General  Bankhead's  brigade,  which  was  in  sup 
porting  distance  of  nearly  nine  thousand  men.  But  at  this 
time  the  Southern  forces  in  the  Indian  country  were  be 
coming  badly  demoralized  and  of  very  low  morale.  There 
were  still  many  desertions  from  General  Cabell's  Arkansas 
brigade  and  the  Indian  forces  of  Cooper's  brigade,  were 
lacking  in  interest  and  indifferent  in  executing  the  parts 


288  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

of  the  service  assigned  to  them,  and  there  also  appears  to 
have  been  a  want  of  harmony  among  the  general  officers, 
which  afterwards  became  more  acute,  which  no  doubt  in 
some  measure  affected  the  morale  of  their  troops. 

Having  received  re-enforcements  of  General  Cabell's  and 
General  Bankhead's  brigades,  and  reorganized  General 
Cooper's  forces,  General  Steele  felt  himself  strong  enough 
to  challenge  the  Federal  forces  at  Fort  Gibson  to  battle  by 
moving  his  command  up  to  within  fifteen  to  twenty  miles 
of  that  post  and  now  on  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Cloud, 
General  Blunt  was  in  fighting  mood  again  and  determined 
to  immediately  cross  the  Arkansas,  advance  south  and  at 
tack  the  Confederates,  and  if  possible  make  the  result 
more  decisive  than  the  battle  at  Elk  Creek.  With  his 
forces  thus  united,  and  strong  in  artillery,  he  advanced 
rapidly  to  attack  General  Steele,  who,  he  had  assertained 
from  his  scouts,  had  concentrated  all  his  troops  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Canadian,  sixty  miles  south  of  Fort  Gib 
son,  prepared  to  make  a  stand  and  a  fight  to  the  last  ex 
tremity. 

On  arriving  near  the  place  where  he  supposed  General 
Steele  would  be  in  position  to  give  him  battle,  he  found 
that  the  Confederate  commander  had  retreated  and  divided 
his  force;  that  he  had  ordered  General  Cabell,  with  his 
brigade,  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Smith;  that  Steele  had 
himself  retired  with  Cooper's  command  of  about  five 
thousand  men,  southwest  on  the  Texas  road  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Ferryville,  and  was  then  encamped  about  twenty 
miles  distant,  waiting  further  developments  of  General 
Blunt's  movements.  He  did  not  have  long  to  wait. 

Although  his  troops  and  animals  were  very  much  ex 
hausted  by  two  days  of  almost  constant  marching,  General 
Blunt  determined  if  practicable,  to  strike  the  force  under 
Steele  and  Cooper  and  disperse  it  before  it  got  beyond  his 
reach  and  before  they  could  remove  supplies  from  their 
depot  at  Perryville,  and  then  turn  upon  Cabell  and  capture 
Fort  Smith, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  289 

He  halted  his  men  a  few  hours  to  feed  and  rest  and 
give  them  an  opportunity  to  make  coffee  and  eat  from 
the  rations  they  had  brought  along  in  their  haversacks, 
and  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  August  25th  re 
sumed  the  march  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy  on  the  Texas 
road,  and  about  ten  o'clock  his  advance  met  a  company  of 
Choctaws  formed  in  the  timber,  having  been  detached  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  Federal  forces.  In  the  skirm 
ish  that  took  place,  four  of  the  Southern  Indians  were 
killed,  and  their  captain  captured,  from  whom  General 
Blunt  obtained  important  information  in  regard  to  the 
strength  and  disposition  of  the  Confederate  forces  in  his 
front.  In  the  continued  pursuit  the  Federal  advance  came 
up  with  General  Steele's  rear-guard  several  times  that 
afternoon  and  exchanged  shots  with  them.  They  made 
very  little  effort  to  hold  the  Federal  troops  until  their  ad 
vance  arrived  before  the  little  town  of  Perryville  at  eight 
o'clock  that  night.  In  front  of  the  town  the  Confederate 
commander  had  posted  part  of  his  force  and  two  howitzers 
in  the  timber  commanding  the  road  upon  which  the  Union 
troops  were  advancing,  with  the  view  of  detaining  them 
until  his  trains  could  get  out  of  the  way. 

When  General  Blunt's  advance  came  up  and  ap 
proached  the  timber  they  could  not  see  the  Confederates 
and  their  howitzers,  which  were  loaded  with  canister,  and 
opened  fire  upon  the  hostile  force,  wounding  four  men. 
This  resistance  brought  up  the  four  companies  of  the  Sixth 
Kansas  Cavalry  and  their  two  howitzers,  and  the  men 
were  dismounted,  every  fourth  man  holding  horses,  and  de 
ploying  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  road,  they  advanced  up 
to  within  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  barricades 
which  the  Confederates  had  hastily  constructed,  and 
opened  fire  upon  them  with  their  Sharps'  carbines  by 
moonlight.  In  a  few  moments  the  two  howitzers  of  the 
Sixth  were  brought  up  at  a  gallop  and  went  into  action, 
and  after  throwing  about  a  dozen  shells  into  the  position  of 


290  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

the  Confederates,  they  retreated,  leaving  a  large  amount  of 
commissary  and  quartermaster  stores  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  Union  soldiers.  General  Blunt,  who  was  in  advance, 
entered  the  town  with  his  troops  and  found  it  was  a 
regular  military  post  and  an  important  depot.  It  was  the 
only  point  between  Boggy  Depot  and  Northfork  for  fur 
nishing  supplies  for  the  Confederate  forces,  and  as  nearly 
every  building  contained  Confederate  property,  he  ordered 
the  burning  of  the  place,  after  keeping  out  such  supplies 
as  he  could  use.  He  also  captured  and  destroyed  a  large 
amount  of  enemy  clothing  at  Northfork,  on  the  Canadian. 
His  troops  and  animals  had  marched  about  forty  miles  that 
day  and  were  too  much  exhausted  as  they  came  up  to  con 
tinue  the  pursuit  during  the  night  over  a  rough  road  and 
timbered  country,  with  advantage.  He  had,  however,  by 
the  destruction  of  the  Confederate  supply  depots  at  North- 
fork  and  Perryville,  crippled  his  adversary  almost  as  much 
as  if  he  had  defeated  him  in  battle.  His  movements  were 
rapid,  overcoming  all  obstacles,  and  having  pursued  the 
Southern  forces  under  General  Steele  into  the  southern 
part  of  the  Indian  Territory,  and  having  destroyed  his 
supply  depots  in  that  section,  the  General  determined  to 
lose  no  time  in  marching  against  General  Cabell  in  the 
vicinty  of  Fort  Smith  before  he  could  get  re-enforce 
ments. 

At  Perryville  the  General  found  it  necessary  to  make 
new  dispositions  of  his  troops.  He  ascertained  that  Gen 
eral  Steele  had  with  him  at  that  place  only  a  small  part  of 
the  two  Cherokee  regiments,  and  that  nearly  all  the  two 
Creek  regiments  were  with  Colonel  Mclntosh  on  the  Upper 
Canadian  in  the  western  part  of  the  Creek  Nation,  and  to 
meet  the  situation,  he  sent  Colonel  Judson  with  the  troops 
and  artillery  of  his  own  district,  which  he  had  brought 
from  Fort  Gibson,  in  pursuit  of  Mclntosh,  and  took  the 
troops  and  artillery  of  Colonel  Cloud's  brigade  from  South 
west  Missouri,  and  started  for  Fort  Smith  to  attack  Gen- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  291 

end  Cabell,  who  had  three  regiments  and  three  batttlions 
of  cavalry,  one  regiment  of  infantry  and  one  battery  of 
artillery  for  the  defense  of  his  position  on  the  Poteau 
River,  nine  miles  southwest  of  Fort  Smith. 

In  the  march  from  Perryville  to  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Smith,  a  distance  of  upwards  of  one  hundred  miles  in  four 
days,  the  men  and  horses  of  Colonel  Cloud's  brigade  were 
put  to  the  severest  test  of  physical  endurance,  for  they  had 
been  constantly  marching  for  three  weeks,  and  a  good 
deal  of  the  time  day  and  night;  but  they  had  been  uni 
formly  successful  in  routing  the  foe,  and  they  bore  their 
hardships  with  cheerfulness  and  without  complaint. 

General  Cabell  was  kept  informed  of  the  movements 
of  the  Federal  forces,  and  anticipating  that  they  would 
probably  turn  upon  Fort  Smith  after  giving  up  the  pur 
suit  of  Steele,  he  kept  out  scouts  as  far  west  as  the  San 
Bois  on  the  roads  leading  to  Perryville  and  Fort  Gibson, 
to  give  him  timely  notice  of  the  approach  of  hostile  forces. 
He  also  by  felling  trees  blocked  up  the  roads  and  fords 
above  his  position,  and  the  Poteau  bottom  road,  leading 
to  Fort  Smith,  to  retard  the  movements  of  the  Federal 
forces  as  much  as  practicable. 

He  ordered  Colonel  L.  L.  Thompson's  regiment  of  cav 
alry  to  occupy  a  position  near  Scullyville  and  to  picket  the 
road  the  Federal  troops  would  probably  advance  upon,  and 
so  certain  was  he  that  he  would  be  attacked,  that  he  or 
dered  the  public  property  at  Fort  Smith  to  be  loaded  into  a 
wagon  train  and  sent  to  the  rear  of  his  position  on  the 
Poteau  and  on  the  road  to  Waldron. 

He  had  barely  completed  these  dispositions  when,  on 
the  30th  of  August,  General  Blunt's  advance  came  upon 
and  exchanged  shots  with  the  Confederate  scouts  a  few 
miles  west  of  the  San  Bois,  and  kept  in  sight  of  them  at 
intervals  during  the  day  until  he  went  into  camp  that 
evening,  twelve  miles  west  of  Scullyville.  He  rested  his 
men  and  animals  until  about  midnight,  when  he  moved 


292  Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

forward  again,  and  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
struck  the  Confederate  pickets,  who,  after  a  short  resist 
ance,  were  obliged  to  fall  back  upon  the  regiment  under 
Colonel  Thompson  near  Scullyville,  with  the  loss  of  one 
man  killed  and  several  wounded. 

The  Federal  cavalry  under  Colonel  Cloud  pushed  for 
ward  close  upon  the  retiring  pickets,  and  after  some  skirm 
ishing,  forced  Colonel  Thompson  to  retreat  from  his  posi 
tion  in  the  direction  of  the  main  force  under  General 
Cabell,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Poteau  River.  In  retiring 
he  formed  his  men  in  line  several  times  during  the  day, 
but  they  did  not  stand  until  the  Federal  cavalry  approached 
within  firing  range. 

With  scarcely  a  halt,  General  Blunt's  troops  arrived 
that  evening  within  three  miles  of  General  Cabell's  position 
and  encamped.  It  was  too  late  to  make  an  attack  that  day, 
and  he  knew  that  after  a  night's  rest,  his  troops  and  stock 
would  be  more  efficient  in  going  into  action.  Before  at 
tacking,  he  also  desired  to  reconnoiter  the  Confederate 
position,  so  that  about  dark  Colonel  Cloud  took  a  small 
force,  and  driving  in  General  Cabell's  outpost,  captured  a 
Confederate  soldier  who  was  able  to  give  some  information 
of  the  enemy  position,  and  continuing  to  advance,  pene 
trated  nearly  to  the  river,  and  within  three  hundred  yards 
of  the  Confederate  battery,  when  he  received  a  number  of 
rounds  of  shell  and  canister  from  it,  and  volleys  of  mus 
ketry  from  the  dismounted  troops  in  his  front.  The  firing 
on  both  sides  lasted  nearly  an  hour,  but  in  the  darkness 
it  appears  to  have  been  ineffective,  as  no  casualties  were 
reported  on  either  side.  This  attack,  however,  had  a  de 
pressing  effect  on  the  nerves  of  the  Confederates. 

A  night  attack,  the  rapid  movements  of  the  Federal 
troops  and  their  audacity  and  uncertain  numbers,  deter 
mined  General  Cabell  to  abandon  his  position  without  a 
fight,  and  his  troops  commenced  to  retire  that  night 
shortly  after  nine  o'clock,  almost  as  soon  as  the  skirmish 
with  Colonel  Cloud  had  ended. 


Th$  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  293 

Having  refreshed  his  troops  with  sleep  and  rest  and 
food,  and  having  received  no  information  of  the  movements 
of  his  adversary  during  the  night  after  the  skirmish,  at 
daylight  General  Blunt  advanced  with  his  cavalry,  infantry 
and  artillery  to  attack  the  Confederate  position,  but  soon 
found  that  the  enemy  forces  had  retreated,  giving  him  a 
bloodless  victory.  The  pursuit  of  the  enemy  was  com 
menced  immediately.  After  crossing  the  Poteau  River  the 
Federal  troops  soon  struck  the  trail  of  the  Confederates, 
and  found  that  after  retreating  a  short  distance  in  the 
direction  of  Fort  Smith  they  had  turned  southeast  in  the 
direction  of  Jenny  Lind  and  taken  the  road  on  which 
General  Cabell  had  sent  his  train  to  Waldron  in  Scott 
county,  a  mountainous  region  in  which  it  would  be  difficult 
for  the  Union  forces  to  keep  up  the  pursuit.  It  was  de 
cided  at  once,  however,  by  General  Blunt  to  detach  Colonel 
Cloud  with  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry  and  a  detachment 
of  the  Sixth  Regiment,  Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  and 
two  sections  of  Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Battery,  to  take  up 
the  pursuit  of  the  retreating  Confederate  forces,  while  he, 
the  General,  with  his  escort  and  the  First  Arkansas  In 
fantry,  marched  to  Fort  Smith  and  occupied  the  post  and 
city  without  opposition,  on  the  evening  of  the  first  of 
September. 

It  had  been  quite  a  task  for  the  Confederate  com 
mander  to  collect  the  public  property  of  every  description 
at  Fort  Smith  and  have  it  loaded  into  wagons  and  the 
trains  started  on  the  road  to  Waldron.  It  had  hampered 
the  movements  of  his  troops  in  his  retreat,  and  enabled 
Colonel  Cloud  to  come  up  with  the  Confederate  pickets  at 
Jenny  Lind  and  skirmish  with  them  until  they  fell  back 
upon  the  main  force  at  Backbone  Mountain,  sixteen  miles 
southeast  of  Fort  Smith.  On  finding  that  he  was  being 
pursued  by  the  Federal  forces,  General  Cabell  formed  his 
troops  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  near  the  road,  with 
his  artillery  in  position  to  command  the  road  and  the  ap- 


294  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

preaches,  and  posted  Colonel  Monroe's  regiment,  Arkansas 
Cavalry  in  ambush  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  with  in 
structions  to  open  fire  upon  the  foe  the  moment  he  came 
within  gun-shot  range. 

There  was  brush  and  timber  along  the  side  of  the 
mountain  sufficient  to  conceal  the  regiment  in  ambush,  and 
when  the  Federal  advance  came  dashing  up,  the  Confed 
erates  fired  a  volley  into  it,  killing  Captain  Lines  of  the 
Second  Kansas  and  several  of  his  men  and  wounding  twelve 
others,  and  bringing  the  column  to  a  halt  until  assistance 
could  come  up. 

At  this  critical  moment  Colonel  Cloud  brought  up  his 
cavalry  and  artillery,  when  a  fierce  contest  commenced  be 
tween  the  opposing  batteries,  which  lasted  for  three  hours, 
both  sides  using  freely  shell  and  solid  shot,  with  no  decisive 
results.  Then  the  Colonel  dismounted  part  of  his  cavalry, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  his  howitzers,  drove  Monroe's 
regiment  from  their  position  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
and  up  the  mountain  side,  back  upon  Cabell's  line  of  battle. 

After  the  retirement  of  Monroe's  regiment,  one  bat 
talion  and  three  regiments  of  Confederates  broke,  and  in 
running,  ran  through  General  Cabell's  provost  guard,  and 
carried  off  with  them  eighty  prisoners,  most  of  whom 
were  Union  men  whom  he  was  holding  under  sentence  of 
death  for  treason  and  desertion. 

Probably  no  one  believed  it  was  because  the  men  of 
those  regiments  were  frightened  by  the  sound  of  battle 
that  they  ran,  but  because  they  were  Union  men  and  did 
not  wish  to  fire  upon  their  friends,  or  be  placed  in  a  posi 
tion  to  be  shot  down  by  them,  for  General  Cabell  stated 
that  those  regiments  were  composed  of  men  who  were 
deserters  from  other  regiments,  and  men  who  had  been 
conscripted  and  forced  into  service. 

This  action  at  Backbone  Mountain  practically  closed 
offensive  operations  of  the  Federal  forces  in  the  Indian 
country  and  Western  Arkansas  for  the  year.  General 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.         295 

Cabell  continued  his  retreat  to  Waldron,  arriving  there  the 
next  day,  where  he  found  his  ox  train  hauling  his  ammuni 
tion.  He  reported  his  loss  in  the  action  with  Colonel  Cloud, 
five  killed,  twelve  wounded,  and  an  unknown  number  miss 
ing. 

On  the  retirement  of  the  Confederate  forces,  Colonel 
Cloud  at  once  occupied  the  field,  extended  his  pickets,  col 
lected  his  killed  and  wounded,  received  deserters  from  the 
Confederate  service  that  evening,  who  accompanied  him 
to  Fort  Smith  the  next  morning.  He  reported  his  loss 
two  killed  and  twelve  wounded,  and  that  he  took  thirty 
prisoners. 

Arriving  at  Fort  Smith  he  found  General  Blunt  sick. 
The  General  directed  him  to  assume  command  of  the  forces 
there.  The  Union  men  from  the  mountains  and  Union  men 
who  had  been  conscripted  into  the  Confederate  army  and 
deserted  came  flocking  into  the  post  in  large  numbers, 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five  miles  south  of  the  Arkansas 
River,  many  of  whom  enlisted  at  once  into  the  Arkan 
sas  regiments  that  were  being  recruited  for  the  Federal 
service. 

These  Unionists  were  generally  known  as  "Mountain 
Feds,"  a  name  given  to  the  Union  men  who  collected  in 
the  mountains  in  considerable  numbers  to  resist  Confed 
erate  conscripting  officers  who  were  hunting  them  down 
and  taking  them  away  to  put  them  into  the  Southern  army. 
It  had  been  difficult  up  to  this  time  for  the  Unionists  in 
the  mountains  south  of  the  Arkansas  River  to  reach  the 
Federal  lines. 

To  those  who  were  familiar  with  the  situation,  it  was 
not  surprising  that  Confederate  officers  met  with  the 
trouble  they  complained  of  in  making  such  men  fight  to 
establish  a  form  of  government  whose  corner  stone  was 
slavery,  an  institution  in  which  they  had  no  sympathy  or 
interest,  and  whose  leaders  and  supporters  regarded  them 
with  indifference,  and  socially  as  inferiors,  having  nothing 
in  common  with  the  aristocratic  class. 


,296  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

There  was  probably  no  section  of  this  country  that 
had  a  more  honest  class  of  men  than  these  same  hardy 
mountaineers  who  voluntarily  came  into  the  Federal  lines 
and  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  and  they  made  excellent 
soldiers.  No  charge  of  cowardice  was  ever  brought  against 
them,  for  they  felt  that  they  were  fighting  for  a  cause 
and  a  government  that  recognized  equal  rights  and  equal 
opportunities  among  men. 

Having  participated  in  all  General  Blunt's  operations 
in  the  Indian  country  south  of  the  Arkansas  during  the 
month  of  August,  ending  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Smith  and 
the  action  at  Backbone  Mountain,  September  1st,  Colonel 
Catherwood,  with  his  regiment,  the  Sixth  Missouri  State 
Militia  Cavalry,  was  ready  to  return  to  the  District  of 
Southwest  Missouri,  as  soon  as  re-enforcements  arrived 
from  Fort  Gibson. 

He  had  been  for  more  than  a  month  since  leaving 
Missouri,  constantly  marching,  scouting  and  skirmishing 
with  the  enemy,  his  men  without  tents  or  a  change  of 
clothing  and  part  of  the  time  on  short  rations,  and  on 
representation  of  the  situation,  and  on  the  arrival  of  re- 
enforcements,  he  was  relieved  by  General  Blunt  on  the 
8th,  and  returned  to  Missouri,  having  lost  only  two  men 
killed  and  two  wounded  in  the  action  at  Backbone  Moun 
tain,  during  the  expedition.  His  regiment  made  an  envia 
ble  record  in  the  operations  of  General  Blunt's  forces  in 
that  campaign. 

Confederate  officers  considered  Fort  Smith  the  key 
to  operations  in  the  Indian  country,  and  its  capture  by  the 
Federal  forces  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  Southern 
people  of  that  section.  For  a  week  after  Colonel  Cloud's 
arrival  at  that  post,  his  office  was  thronged  every  day 
with  Union  men  and  deserters  from  the  Southern  army 
from  every  direction  in  that  section,  who  came  in  to  ex 
press  their  devotion  and  loyalty  to  the  Government,  and 
who  wished  to  inform  him  of  the  happenings  in  their 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  297 

neighborhoods.  Many  were  deeply  affected  by  the  friendly 
and  sympathetic  greetings  of  men  representing  the  strong 
arm  of  the  Government. 

He  ascertained  from  these  people  that  there  was  a 
Confederate  force  of  about  two  hundred  men  at  Dardenelle, 
one  hundred  miles  down  the  Arkansas  River.  He  desired 
to  cut  off  this  force  from  joining  Price,  or  disperse  it,  be 
sides  his  information  led  him  to  believe  that  an  expedition 
into  that  section  would  do  much  good  in  encouraging  the 
Union  men  to  organize  for  their  own  defense.  In  this  be 
lief  he  was  not  disappointed. 

A  re-enforcement  of  part  of  the  Second  Colorado  In 
fantry  having  arrived  to  strengthen  the  force  at  Fort 
Smith,  the  Colonel  took  two  hundred  men  of  the  Second 
Kansas  Cavalry  under  Captain  Mentzer,  and  a  section  of 
the  Second  Indiana  Battery  under  Lieutenant  Haines,  and 
on  the  morning  of  September  9th  started  out  on  the  march 
for  Dardenelle,  through  a  hostile  country,  partly  occupied 
by  hostile  forces. 

The  news  of  the  Federal  occupation  of  Fort  Smith 
spread  through  the  country,  and  on  the  march  down  he 
was  joined  by  about  three  hundred  Union  men,  who  were 
assembled  on  one  day's  notice,  cheering  and  enthusiastic 
for  the  Union,  and  an  odd  feature  of  it  all  was,  that  sev 
eral  officers  and  about  one  hundred  of  these  men  had 
opposed  him  at  Backbone  Mountain,  under  General  Cabell, 
only  a  few  days  before,  and  some  of  them  were  still  wear 
ing  the  Confederate  uniform  and  Confederate  beltplate. 

These  Unionists  were  organized  into  six  companies, 
and  with  this  re-enforcement  he  continued  his  march  to 
Dardenelle,  and  on  arriving  there  found  a  Confederate 
brigade  under  Colonel  R.  Stirman,  Arkansas  Cavalry,  esti 
mated  at  one  thousand  strong,  with  four  pieces  of  artillery. 
He  made  a  vigorous  attack  upon  this  force,  and  after  about 
three  hours  fighting  the  Confederates  retreated  down  the 
river,  leaving  two  hundred  head  of  cattle,  a  large  amount 
of  wheat  and  flour  and  other  commissary  supplies  to  fall 


298  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

into  his  hands,  besides  capturing  one  captain  and  twenty 
privates  as  prisoners. 

Colonel  Cloud  was  a  man  easily  approachable,  stood 
little  on  his  dignity  as  a  commanding  officer,  mingled 
freely  with  all  classes,  chatted  pleasantly  to  all  who  came 
to  him,  and  made  them  feel  that  all  were  equally  interested 
in  the  Union  cause,  which  championed  the  rights  of  the 
plain  people,  and  he  easily  won  their  respect  and  confi 
dence.  His  position  as  commander  of  a  regiment,  and 
sometimes  of  a  brigade,  had  brought  him  in  close  relations 
with  commanding  generals  and  prominent  men,  and  his 
wide  experience  and  keen  observations  had  given  him  com 
mand  of  language,  so  that  he  could  make  an  interesting 
address  on  impromptu  occasions,  usually  introducing  some 
humorous  incident. 

He  was  at  Dardanelle  three  days;  he  was  the  first 
Federal  officer  who  had  been  there  during  the  war,  and  as 
his  fame  had  out-traveled  his  movements,  a  committee  of 
Unionists  called  on  him  and  desired  to  know  if  he  could 
find  it  convenient  to  address  them  at  a  meeting  arranged 
for  that  evening,  and  he  accepted  the  invitation,  and  when 
the  people  assembled,  he  was  introduced  to  the  audience  by 
a  prominent  man  of  that  section,  who,  in  a  few  introduc 
tory  remarks,  stated  that  the  people  were  glad  to  have  the 
opportunity  of  honoring  and  hearing  from  him;  that  they 
had  heard  of  his  achievements  in  the  military  operations 
in  Southwest  Missouri,  Northwest  Arkansas  and  the  Indian 
Territory  for  more  than  a  year;  that  it  was  a  keen  pleas 
ure  to  have  so  distinguished  an  officer  of  the  Union  among 
them,  and  that  he  could  probably  give  them  accurate  in 
formation  in  regard  to  important  events  in  recent  opera 
tions. 

The  Colonel  rising  to  speak,  thanked  the  chairman  for 
the  complimentary  remarks  he  had  made,  and  acknowl 
edged  and  appreciated  the  distinguished  honor  the  Union 
ists  had  conferred  upon  him  by  inviting  him  to  speak,  and 
of  the  pleasure  it  gave  him  to  find  so  many  Unionists  in 
that  part  of  the  State;  that  henceforward  they  could  rely 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  299 

on  the  Government  to  assist  and  support  them  in  their 
struggle  for  liberty  and  justice,  and  he  hoped  that  it  might 
have  their  loyal  co-operation. 

He  was  the  only  officer  of  his  rank  in  the  Army  of 
the  Frontier  who  had  long  dark  hair  falling  down  over  his 
shoulders.  It  gave  him  a  rather  dashing  appearance,  and 
probably  would  make  him  better  remembered  by  soldiers 
and  people  for  many  years  to  come  than  any  other  officer, 
and  continuing  his  address  he  went  on  to  relate  important 
events  in  recent  operations  of  the  army.  He  stated  that  he 
had  just  received  information  that  Federal  General  Steele 
captured  Little  Rock  on  the  10th,  and  that  General  Price's 
army  was  in  full  retreat  in  the  direction  of  Arkadelphia; 
that  General  Blunt  in  his  recent  operations  had  crossed 
the  Arkansas  at  Fort  Gibson  and  defeated  Generals  Steele 
and  Cooper  at  Elk"  Creek,  and  later  pursued  them  nearly  to 
Boggy  Depot,  captured  their  supply  depots  at  Northfork 
and  Perryville  and  turning  upon  Cabell,  had  driven  him 
from  Fort  Smith  and  defeated  him  at  Backbone  Mountain. 

He  touched  upon  the  persistent  efforts  of  Southern 
leaders  to  misrepresent  Union  officers  and  soldiers  and 
their  ideals  and  characters,  to  make  the  Southern  people 
bitter  toward  them,  without  any  justification,  and  related 
an  incident  that  came  under  his  notice  at  Fort  Smith  where 
he  was  boarding  in  a  private  family.  He  stated  that  the 
lady,  the  boarding  house  keeper  or  hostess  with  whom  he 
boarded,  he  knew  was  a  strong  Southern  sympathizer,  but 
treated  him  with  courtesy  and  proper  consideration;  that 
he  made  it  a  point  to  make  the  people  feel  at  ease  in  all 
business  relations  with  him,  when  they  knew  as  a  matter 
of  fact  his  "mailed  fist,"  could  make  them  feel  very  uncom 
fortable;  that  a  niece  of  the  lady  with  whom  he  boarded 
frequently  came  over  to  see  her,  and  was  introduced  to 
him,  and  was  not  slow  in  letting  him  know  of  her  bitter 
feeling  towards  all  Northern  men,  and  told  him  that  she 
would  want  a  permit  and  pass  to  go  south ;  that  she  could 
not  live  under  Yankee  rule.  The  Colonel  told  his  audience 


300  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

that  he  took  her  raillery  good-naturedly,  and  replied  that 
he  would  give  her  a  permit  to  go  South  when  she  desired 
it,  but  added  that  she  might  like  the  Federals  better  when 
she  got  better  acquainted  with  them;  that  she  admitted 
if  they  were  all  as  nice  and  gentlemanly  as  he,  she  might, 
but  did  not  think  she  could  stand  it  long  to  live  under 
Federal  authority.  He  further  told  his  audience  that  he 
thought  no  more  about  the  matter  until  a  short  time 
afterward,  when  his  hostess  invited  him  to  a  wedding  on 
a  certain  evening,  and  on  inquiring  in  regard  to  the  parties, 
was  told  that  one  of  the  contracting  parties,  the  lady,  the 
bride-to-be,  was  her  niece,  who  was  so  determined  on  going 
South  when  the  Federal  troops  came  in,  and  that  the 
groom  wajs  a  soldier  in  his  command;  that  he  graciously 
accepted  the  invitation,  attended  the  wedding  and  kissed 
and  danced  with  the  bride,  which  brought  hearty  applause. 

The  Colonel  had  at  one  time  been  a  Methodist  preach 
er,  and  in  his  concluding  remarks  to  his  audience,  told  them 
that  courtesy  and  gentleness  of  conduct  towards  our  op 
ponents  when  we  are  in  the  ascendant  would  do  more  to 
disarm  their  opposition  and  bring  them  over  to  our  side, 
than  words  of  abuse  and  harsh  treatment,  and  that  until 
the  struggle  shall  have  ended,  every  man  should  ask  him 
self  the  solemn  question,  "What  am  I  fighting  for,  more 
liberty  and  justice,  or  less  liberty  and  justice?  If  the 
South  succeeds,  will  her  government  improve  my  condition, 
give  me  greater  opportunities  for  happiness  than  under 
the  Federal  Government?  If  not,  why  support  the  Confed 
erate  cause?"* 

Having  heard  of  the  occupation  of  Little  Rock  by  Gen 
eral  Steele,  the  Colonel  determined  to  open  up  communica 
tion  with  the  Federal  forces  at  that  place,  and  taking  one 
hundred  men  of  his  regiment,  the  Second  Kansas,  left 
Dardenelle  and  started  down  the  river  on  the  march  for 
that  purpose,  arriving  there  on  the  18th,  and  reported  to 
General  Steele  the  successful  operations  of  General  Bltmt 
and  the  occupation  of  Fort  Smith. 

*"A  Day  with  Colonel  Cloud,"  in  m«-nu«cript. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  301 

The  Arkansas  River  was  usually  navigable  for  light 
draft  steamers  to  Fort  Smith  the  greater  part  of  the  year, 
and  if  the  Federal  forces  could  control  the  river  above  Lit 
tle  Rock,  it  would  be  of  very  great  importance  in  bringing 
up  supplies  for  the  troops  operating  from  Fort  Smith  and 
Fort  Gibson;  it  would  save  transporting  the  supplies  by 
wagon  trains  from  Fort  Scott,  a  distance  of  more  than 
two  hundred  miles,  through  a  section  in  which  they  were 
liable  to  attack  at  any  time. 

The  Federal  occupation  of  Fort  Smith  and  Little  Rock 
did  not  lessen  the  operations  of  the  Southern  Partisan 
bands  in  Western  Arkansas  and  in  the  western  counties  of 
Missouri,  but  rather  increased  their  activtities,  for  when 
the  Confederate  forces  of  General  Price  were  driven  from 
Little  Rock,  and  he  was  holding  no  particular  place,  he  re 
lieved  many  Southern  Partisan  leaders  who  were  with  him, 
and  they  returned  with  their  followers  to  the  scenes  of 
their  former  operations  in  the  western  counties  of  Mis 
souri. 

In  many  instances  these  Partisan  leaders,  each  with  a 
small  number  of  followers,  from  a  half  dozen  to  fifty  had 
remained  in  Western  Arkansas  and  the  counties  of  West 
ern  Missouri  during  the  summer,  and  kept  the  Federal 
authorities  busy  in  hunting  them  down  and  dispersing 
them.  Among  the  most  noted  of  these  leaders  was  Quan- 
trill,  whose  operations  were  mostly  confined  to  the  coun 
ties  of  Jackson,  Lafayette,  Johnson  and  Cass,  in  Western 
Missouri.  He  had  returned  from  Northern  Texas  to  those 
counties  early  in  the  spring,  and  was  able  to  concentrate 
under  his  command  the  companies  of  different  Partisan 
leaders,  to  the  number  of  two,  three  and  four  hundred  men, 
well  mounted  and  equipped. 

On  the  21st  of  August,  the  country  was  startled  and 
horrified  by  the  raid  of  this  bandit  leader,  with  three  or 
four  hundred  men,  on  Lawrence,  Kansas,  and  the  mas 
sacre  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  her  people,  and  the  loot- 


302  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ing  and  burning  of  the  city,  and  his  escape  with  small  loss, 
to  the  thickly  wooded  region  of  the  counties  he  had  in 
fested  during  the  summer,  was  very  disappointing  to  the 
loyal  people  of  that  section. 

This  barbarous  act  of  the  Southern  Partisan  bandits  in 
marching  forty  miles  through  Kansas  and  looting  and 
burning  and  massacreing  a  large  number  of  the  people  of 
the  principal  city  of  the  State,  aroused  deepest  indignation 
in  every  section  of  it,  and  in  the  mass  meetings  called  and 
addressed  by  General  Lane,  then  United  States  Senator, 
and  other  leaders,  strong  resolutions  were  adopted,  favor 
ing  the  immediate  invasion  of  Missouri  by  the  people  of 
Kansas  en  masse,  and  the  burning  and  destruction  of  every 
thing  in  the  two  western  tiers  of  counties. 

It  required  all  the  tact,  good  judgment  and  firm 
ness  of  General  Schofield,  commanding  the  Department, 
to  prevent  the  carrying  into  effect  the  resolutions.  He 
issued  orders  to  the  commanding  officers  of  troops  in  the 
border  counties  of  both  States,  strictly  forbidding  the  pass 
ing  of  citizens  or  militia  organizations  from  one  State  into 
the  other,  and  finally  restored  tranquillity  in  that  respect. 
He  knew  that  at  least  one-half  of  the  people  of  the  western 
counties  of  Missouri  were  Unionists,  and  had  furnished 
their  quotas  of  volunteer  regiments,  then  at  the  front,  be 
sides  regiments  of  loyal  militia  who  had  been  active  in 
their  operations  against  Southern  Partisan  bandits.  Many 
Kansans  could  not  get  over  the  idea  that  all  Missourians 
were  of  the  kind  that  invaded  Kansas  in  Territorial  days. 

Where  the  people  were  divided  in  their  views  on  the 
issues  of  the  war,  as  they  were  in  Missouri,  Arkansas  and 
the  Indian  country,  it  was  difficult  for  the  loyal  militia 
and  Federal  forces  operating  therein  to  prevent  the  organ 
ization  and  concentration  of  hostile  forces  in  the  rear  of 
the  Federal  lines,  for  they  often  returned  from  the  South 
to  their  neighborhoods  in  parties  of  twos,  threes,  or  more 
in  numbers,  with  an  understanding  where  they  should  meet 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  303 

their  leaders,  and  after  making  a  raid  on  some  unprotected 
place,  or  an  attack  on  a  small  Federal  detachment,  dis 
perse,  after  making  an  arrangement  for  another  meeting 
at  an  appointed  place  and  date. 

These  small  concentrations  were  generally  in  or  near 
the  neighborhoods  in  which  most  of  the  families  were 
Southern  sympathizers,  and  it  was  a  problem  as  to  whether 
the  families  should  be  removed  so  as  to  leave  no  induce 
ment  for  the  Southern  men  to  stay  near  them,  ready  to 
be  called  upon  at  any  moment  for  active  movements  against 
the  Federal  forces. 


304         The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  BAXTER  SPRINGS  MASSACRE 

In  the  early  part  of  September,  General  McNeil  sent  an 
expedition  from  Springfield  under  Colonel  Harrison,  First 
Arkansas  Cavalry,  of  three  hundred  men,  including  a  sec 
tion  of  Stark's  First  Arkansas  Battery,  into  McDonald 
county,  Missouri,  and  Benton  County,  Arkansas,  to  break 
up  and  disperse  Confederate  detachments  under  Colonels 
Coffee  and  Hunter  of  Missouri,  and  Captain  "Buck"  Brown 
of  Arkansas,  operating  in  those  counties  and  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation.  On  moving  to  Pineville,  he 
received  information  that  the  enemy  were  concentrating  at 
Elk  Mills,  five  or  six  hundred  strong;  he  then  marched 
down  Elk  River  to  Elk  Mills,  and  near  there,  drove  in  the 
Confederate  pickets  upon  the  main  force  in  line  in  a  dense 
thicket  a  mile  west  of  Enterprise,  and  commenced  shelling 
them  and  the  reserve  in  town,  and  after  some  skirmishing 
between  the  belligerent  forces,  the  Confederates  retreated 
south  without  much  damage,  and  were  ready  to  join 
Colonel  Shelby  at  Bentonville  when  he  encamped  there  on 
the  29th,  in  his  raid  through  Western  Arkansas  and  Mis 
souri. 

General  Blunt  having  closed  a  brilliant  campaign  in* 
which  he  defeated  the  Confederate  forces  of  Generals 
Steele  and  Cooper  at  the  battle  of  Elk  Creek  and  drove? 
them  into  the  southern  part  of  the  Indian  Territory,  and  in 
which  he  captured  Fort  Smith  and  dispersed  General 
CabelFs  forces,  returned  to  Fort  Scott,  September  23d,  for 
the  purpose  of  arranging  the  affairs  of  his  district  so 
that  he  could  remove  his  headquarters  to  Fort  Smith, 
which  would  be  near  the  scene  of  his  operations  during 
the  autumn,  and  enable  him  to  co-operate  with  Federal 
General  Steele  in  holding  the  line  of  the  Arkansas  River 
and  in  any  aggressive  operations  they  might  plan. 

The  reports  of  his  successful  operations  had  already 
reached  Kansas,  and  the  energy  and  good  judgment  he 
had  uniformly  displayed  had  made  him  very  popular  with 


T h*  Union  Indian  Brigad*  in  th$  Civil  War.  305 

the  people  of  the  State,  so  that  he  was  given  a  warm  re 
ception  by  the  citizens  and  soldiers  at  Fort  Scott  on  his 
arrival  at  that  place.  Before  leaving  Fort  Smith  he  had 
made  such  disposition  of  the  troops  at  that  post,  Webber's 
Fails  and  Fort  Gibson  as  would,  by  proper  vigilance  of  the 
commanding  officers  of  those  stations,  secure  the  tran 
quillity  of  the  section  which  had  recently  been  wrested 
from  Southern  domination.  He  believed  that  it  would  be 
several  weeks  before  the  demoralized  forces  of  Steele, 
Cooper  and  Cabell  could  be  sufficiently  reorganized  to  take 
the  field  again,  on  account  of  the  great  loss  of  supplies  of 
different  kinds  they  had  sustained  in  the  recent  campaign, 
and  the  low  morale  of  their  troops.  On  his  arrival  at  Fort 
Scott  he  found  that  the  excitement  in  regard  to  the  Law 
rence  massacre  and  the  talk  of  invasion  of  Missouri  by 
General  Lane  with  the  armed  citizens  of  Kansas,  to  search 
for  the  stolen  property  taken  by  Q'uantrill  during  his  raid 
had  not  entirely  subsided. 

The  operation  of  General  Ewing's  Order  Number 
Eleven,  depopulating  the  border  counties  in  his  district 
as  far  south  as  Vernon  county;  the  destruction  of  property 
in  these  counties;  the  removal  of  the  Southern  families 
from  those  counties,  and  the  daily  reports  of  conflicts  with 
guerrilla  bands  were  subjects  of  general  interest  and  dis 
cussion. 

There  were  persons  of  Southern  sympathies  who  con 
demned  the  issuing  of  that  order,  but  it  was  almost  uni 
versally  approved  by  the  people  of  Kansas,  and  though  it 
did  not  contemplate  the  wholesale  destruction  of  property, 
yet  most  of  the  farm  houses  and  barns  with  the  forage 
stored  in  them,  were  burned  and  destroyed  in  those  coun 
ties  after  the  families  were  removed. 

General  Schofield  and  General  Ewing  were  both  of 
ficers  of  humane  feelings  and  would  have  conducted  the 
war  with  as  little  suffering  and  inconvenience  to  tht  non- 
combatant  population  of  Southern  sympathizers  as  possible, 
provided  they  strictly  observed  an  attitude  of  refusing  aid 


306  The^Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

and  comfort  to  the  enemy ;  but  atrocious  acts  of  the  South 
ern  guerrillas  in  Missouri  made  many  conservative  Union 
men  and  Federal  officers  in  favor  of  adopting  severe  meas 
ures  against  the  outlaws  and  their  allies,  the  Southern 
sympthizers.  No  honorable  man  would  violate  the  hospi 
tality  of  his  host. 

There  were  at  that  time  few  persons  who  stopped  to 
think  that  the  loss  of  life  and  property  at  Lawrence  was 
small  in  comparison  with  the  loss  of  life  and  property  suf 
fered  by  the  Unionists  in  Missouri,  for  in  nearly  every 
neighborhood  in  that  State  Union  men  were  murdered  and 
their  property  taken  or  destroyed  by  guerrillas  and  Con 
federate  raiding  forces. 

Scouts  sent  out  by  Colonel  Charles  W.  Blair,  command 
ing  the  post  of  Fort  Scott,  in  the  counties  of  Western  Mis 
souri,  to  secure  information  in  regard  to  the  movements 
of  Southern  Partisan  bands,  reported  to  him  several  times 
of  their  intended  raid  on  that  post;  but  by  his  vigilance 
the  raids  were  always  averted. 

During  the  war  the  Government  buildings  were  around 
a  plaza  flanked  on  three  sides  by  high  precipitous  bluffs 
and  could  not  be  easily  approached  by  cavalry  or  infantry 
except  from  the  south,  and  to  hold  up  the  advance  of  an 
enemy  from  that  direction  there  were  two  blockhouses 
with  portholes,  and  stockades  around  them,  also  with  port 
holes,  and  later  there  were  three  lunettes  with  emplace 
ments  for  their  three  thirty-two  pounder  siege  guns  in 
commanding  positions  to  sweep  the  ground  in  front  for 
half  a  mile  or  more,  should  the  enemy  make  an  attack. 
There  were  also  detailed  soldiers  well  drilled  to  man  the 
guns,  should  the  necessity  arise. 

As  Fort  Scott  was  the  base  of  supplies  for  the  troops 
operating  in  the  Indian  Territory  and  Western  Arkansas, 
there  were  large  quantities  of  Government  supplies  for 
the  army  kept  there  and  made  it  a  place  of  special  impor 
tance,  and  at  times  there  were  serious  apprehensions  felt 
for  its  safety,  for  the  demands  for  troops  as  escorts  to 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  307 

trains  and  for  scouting  purposes  frequently  reduced  the 
force  there  to  three  or  four  hundred  men,  barely  suf 
ficient  in  number  to  man  the  guns  and  hold  the  block 
houses  and  stockade  in  case  of  attack. 

There  were  Southern  sympathizers  from  Missouri 
trading  in  Fort  Scott  nearly  every  day.  They  were  gen 
erally  women  and  had  no  difficulty  in  ascertaining  when 
there  was  a  marked  depletion  of  troops  at  the  post,  and  it 
was  frequently  asserted  that  some  of  these  women  not 
only  carried  information  of  the  movements  of  troops  to 
the  enemy,  but  also  supplies  of  different  kinds,  particu 
larly  quinine  and  other  medical  supplies. 

During  August  and  the  early  part  of  September,  a 
Confederate  force  estimated  at  not  less  than  five  or  six 
hundred  men  under  Colonels  Coffee  and  Hunter,  had  been 
in  Southwest  Missouri,  Northwest  Arkansas  and  along  the 
eastern  line  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  threatening  General 
Blunt's  supply  line  between  Fort  Scott  and  Fort  Gibson; 
and  though  this  hostile  force  had  several  times  been  at 
tacked  and  dispersed  by  the  Missouri  Militia  from  Spring 
field  and  Neosho,  and  later  by  Colonel  Harrison  of  the 
First  Arkansas  Cavalry,  the  leaders  were  prominent  men 
of  influence  and  were  able  to  rally  their  men,  and  it  was 
frequently  reported  by  scouts  that  they  intended  to  make  a 
raid  north  through  Missouri,  and  if  possible,  enter  the 
border  counties  of  Kansas,  for  the  purpose  of  plundering 
the  people  and  destroying  their  property. 

Nearly  all  the  Union  families  at  and  around  Fort  Scott 
had  moved  out  of  the  western  border  counties  of  Missouri, 
or  into  the  military  stations  in  those  counties,  and  a 
Southern  force  could  easily  march  from  the  Arkansas  line 
to  within  a  few  miles  of  Fort  Scott  without  causing  alarm. 
The  families  living  on  their  farms  in  those  counties  were 
mostly  the  families  of  Southern  soldiers  or  Southern 
Partisan  bands,  and  naturally  would  not  give  informa 
tion  concerning  the  movements  of  Southern  forces. 


30*  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

There  were  several  companies  of  Missouri  Statt 
Militia  stationed  at  Neosho  and  Carthage,  and  by  their 
activity  in  that  section  made  it  unsafe  for  Southern 
Partisan  bands  to  let  their  presence  be  known  in  a  neigh 
borhood  for  more  than  a  day  or  so;  but  there  were  no 
Federal  troops  or  Militia  stationed  in  Barton,  Vernon  or 
Bates  counties,  east  and  southeast  of  Fort  Scott,  and  it 
was  generally  known  that  the  bandit  forces  of  Quantrill 
and  Jackman  passed  through  those  counties  in  their  move 
ments  south  from  the  Missouri  River  counties,  or  in  re 
turning  from  the  south  to  the  Missouri  River  counties. 

With  a  few  scouts  kept  well  in  advance,  when  the 
bandits  were  passing  through  the  country  by  rapid 
marches,  it  was  by  mere  accident  if  they  were  met  by 
Federal  scouting  detachments,  so  that  the  chances  were 
largely  in  favor  of  the  movements  of  the  outlaws  going 
many  days  without  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  command 
ing  officers  of  Federal  forces  in  the  field  or  at  posts. 

A  company  of  the  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry  was  sta 
tioned  at  Dry  Wood,  twelve  miles  south  of  Fort  Scott, 
where  there  was  a  stockade,  which  would  enable  them  to 
hold  the  place  if  suddenly  attacked  by  a  superior  force;  a 
scout  of  two  or  three  men  from  the  station  was  usually 
kept  out  in  Vernon  and  Barton  counties  to  watch  for  and 
secure  information  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  pass 
ing  either  north  or  south. 

Colonel  Williams,  commanding  the  First  Kansas  Col 
ored  Regiment  with  a  section  of  the  Second  Kansas  Bat 
tery,  was  encamped  at  Baxter  Springs  during  the  spring, 
but  the  later  part  of  June  left  there  to  re-enforce  the  sup 
ply  train  for  Fort  Gibson,  leaving  the  place  about  two 
months  without  troops.  It  was  within  ten  to  fifteen  miles 
of  a  thickly  wooded  region  in  Jasper  county  Missouri,  that 
had  been  notorious  for  concealing  the  movements  of  South 
ern  Partisan  bands,  and  the  constant  passing  of  supply 
trains,  escorts,  and  messengers  over  the  Military  Road 


Th*  Union  /tkfcan  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  309 

from  Fort  Scott  to  Fort  Gibson,  a  distance  of  on*  hun 
dred  and  sixty  miles,  through  a  country  almost  unin 
habited  at  that  time,  made  it  very  important  that  there 
should  be  established  at  Baxter  Springs  a  military  sta 
tion  so  fortified  that  it  could  be  held  by  a  small  number 
of  troops  against  any  force  likely  to  make  an  attack 
upon  it. 

The  situation  appealed  so  strongly  to  Colonel  Blair, 
commanding  the  District  of  Southern  Kansas  and  the 
Post  of  Fort  Scott,  that  on  the  17th  of  August  he  ordered 
Lieutenant  John  Crites,  with  his  company  of  the  Third 
Wisconsin  Cavalry,  to  Baxter  Springs,  and  a  short  time 
afterwards  Lieutenant  R.  E.  Cook,  with  a  company  of 
colored  recruits  for  the  Second  Kansas  Colored  Infantry, 
was  ordered  to  re-enforce  him. 

There  was  not  a  more  beautiful  site  on  the  Military 
Road  for  a  camping  ground  than  at  Baxter.  From  the 
early  days  of  the  war,  it  had  been  a  noted  camping  ground 
for  the  Federal  troops  operating  in  Southwest  Missouri  and 
the  Indian  Territory ;  it  was  convenient  to  wood  and  water ; 
the  spring  of  pure  water,  near  which  the  troops  generally 
encamped,  was  about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  State  line,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  Spring  River,  and  a  few  rods 
east  of  the  Military  Road  from  Fort  Scott  to  Fort  Gibson. 

The  ground  was  open  around  the  camp;  the  timber 
along  Spring  River  extended  to  near  the  Military  Road,  so 
that  the  spring  was  almost  in  the  edge  of  the  prairie,  near 
the  head  of  the  hollow  that  deepened  and  widened  until 
the  Spring  Branch  fell  into  Spring  River,  that  flowed  due 
south  at  that  point. 

After  arrival  with  their  commands,  Lieutenants  Crites 
and  Cook  started  and  completed  the  construction  of  a 
blockhouse  a  hundred  yards  or  so  southeast  of  the  Spring 
Branch  on  high  ground,  but  for  some  reason  or  other  they 
removed  this  blockhouse  to  the  north  side  of  the  Spring 
Branch,  a  hundred  yards  perhaps  northeast  of  the  spring 
on  the  sloping  side  of  the  hollow. 


310  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

To  give  the  position  additional  strength  against  an  at 
tack  of  a  superior  force,  they  constructed  a  line  of  breast 
works  made  of  earth  and  logs,  extending  around  the  north, 
east  and  .south  sides  of  the  blockhouse,  the  west  side  being 
unfinished  and  open.  There  was  sufficient  room  inside  of 
the  breastworks  for  the  soldiers,  their  tents,  their  supplies 
and  animals. 

The  latter  part  of  September  reports  came  to  Colonel 
Blair  of  the  unusual  activity  of  the  Southern  Partisan 
bands  in  Northwest  Arkansas  and  Southwest  Missouri, 
which  induced  him  to  order  Lieutenant  J.  B.  Pond,  Third 
Wisconsin  Cavalry,  to  march  with  his  company  and  one 
twelve  pounder  howitzer  from  Dry  Wood  to  strengthen 
the  station  at  Baxter  Springs,  and  on  arrival  there  Octo 
ber  5th,  being  the  senior  officer  present,  assumed  com 
mand,  and  put  his  men  to  work  to  strengthen  his  position, 
and  to  extend  the  breastworks  on  the  north  and  south 
sides  to  accommodate  the  re-enforcement  he  had  brought 
down. 

In  his  march  north  on  his  expedition  to  Missouri  from 
Arkadelphia,  Colonel  Shelby  came  into  collision  with  a 
detachment  of  the  First  Arkansas  Infantry,  Union,  south 
of  Ozark,  Arkansas,  and  in  the  skirmish  that  took  place 
several  of  the  Federal  detachment  were  killed,  wounded 
and  captured,  and  the  commander  of  the  detachment  in 
reporting  the  affair  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort 
Smith,  was  led  to  believe  that  Shelby's  force  was  much 
larger  than  it  really  was,  and  thought  it  was  a  movement 
of  a  part  of  Price's  army  against  Fort  Smith. 

After  driving  the  Confederate  forces  of  Price  from 
Little  Rock,  General  Steele  was  not  prepared  to  follow  up 
their  pursuit  to  Arkadelphia,  and  the  Federal  commander 
at  Fort  Smith  thought  it  very  likely  that  Price  would  take 
part  of  the  troops  he  had  with  him  in  the  vicinity  of  that 
place,  and  such  of  the  troops  of  Generals  Cooper  and 


Tht  Unidn  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  31 1 

Cabell  as  could  be  rallied,  and  commence  immediate  and 
active  operations  against  the  Federal  forces  in  Western 
Arkansas. 

Having  reliable  information  of  Shelby's  rapid  move 
ment  north  with  artillery,  and  other  reported  Confederate 
movements  in  front,  the  Federal  Commander  at  Fort 
Smith  despatched  messengers  to  General  Blunt,  detailing 
the  situation  to  him  as  it  then  appeared,  a  situation  that 
required  the  immediate  attention  of  the  Department  Com 
mander,  if  all  he  had  recently  gained  was  to  be  held. 

On  October  3d  the  couriers  arrived  at  Fort  Scott  with 
despatches,  and  General  Blunt  at  once  commenced  prepa 
rations  to  return  to  Fort  Smith  with  the  headquarters  of 
his  district  for  the  purpose  of  concentrating  and  making 
such  disposition  of  his  troops  as  might  seem  necessary 
to  meet  the  threatened  attack.  No  report  of  Shelby's 
movement  north  of  the  Arkansas  River  had  yet  reached 
General  Blunt,  although  Shelby  was  at  that  moment  in 
Southwest  Missouri,  with  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand 
men  and  three  pieces  of  artillery. 

Colonel  Blair,  commanding  at  Fort  Scott,  was  in  al 
most  daily  communication  with  General  Swing's  head 
quarters,  District  of  the  Border  at  Kansas  City,  in  regard 
to  the  co-operation  of  their  forces,  and  had  received  no 
recent  reports  of  unusual  activity  of  the  Southern  bandits 
in  that  district.  It  wa«s  known,  however,  by  the  intelli 
gence  department  of  the  district,  the  Chief  of  Scouts, 
that  Quantrill  had  not  yet  gone  south;  that  his  men  were 
scattered  in  small  bands  over  the  district,  and  were  pre 
paring  to  start  south  in  a  short  time.  He  had  not  up 
to  that  time  given  the  Federal  troops  any  trouble  in 
Southwest  Missouri  or  Southern  Kansas,  and  since  the 
Federal  occupation  of  Fort  Gibson,  small  detachments  of 
Colonel  Phillips'  command  had  been  constantly  passing  over 
the  Military  Road  between  that  post  and  Fort  Scott  with 
out  any  apprehension  of  meeting  with  the  outlaws. 


312  Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  Waf. 

After  the  bands  of  Quantrlll  had  been  puitmed  from 
Lawrence,  and  after  they  had  scattered  into  the  thickly 
wooded  regions  of  Western  Missouri,  they  had  not  shown 
much  aggressiveness,  and  only  occupied  themselves  in 
keeping  out  of  the  way  of  the  Federal  troops  until  the 
latter  part  of  September,  when  he  sent  instructions  to  the 
leaders  of  different  bands  to  assemble  at  a  former 
rendezvous,  which  was  on  the  farm  of  Captain  Perdee,  on 
Blackwater  in  Johnson  county,  a  county  that  had  Union 
Militia  stationed  at  Warrensburg. 

In  compliance  with  instructions  of  Colonel  Quantrill, 
as  he  signed  himself,  the  leaders  of  his  different  bands 
brought  their  men  together  at  the  appointed  rendezvous, 
and  after  some  discussion  it  was  decided  to  march  south, 
to  Texas,  where  they  proposed  to  spend  the  winter,  and 
the  next  morning,  October  2d,  at  daybreak,  his  command 
of  between  four  and  five  hundred  men,  well  mounted, 
started,  out  on  their  long  journey,  going  into  camp  that 
night  on  Grand  River,  for  three  hours  for  feed  and  rest. 

There  were  very  few  people  living  in  the  counties 
through  which  his  command  passed,  after  the  issuance  of 
Order  Number  Eleven,  and  his  march  south  continued 
for  more  than  three  days  without  his  movements  becoming 
known  to  the  Federal  officers  at  any  of  the  stations  along 
the  border. 

The  bandits  were  pursued  relentlessly  by  General 
Swing's  troops  after  the  Lawrence  Massacre;  they  lost 
heavily  in  killed;  they  dispersed  over  several  counties, 
many  of  them  going  to  their  homes  or  the  homes  of  their 
friends,  and  taking  with  them  the  loot  they  had  brought 
from  Lawrence,  were  shot  down  by  the  Federal  soldiers 
when  found  with  it.  If  a  Union  citizen  or  soldier  fell  into 
their  hands  on  their  line  of  march,  he  did  not  live  to  re 
port  the  fact,  for  they  boasted  they  did  not  take  any 
prisoners.  It  was  a  grim  and  desperate  fight  on  both 
sides. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  313 

On  their  march  south  through  Vernon  county,  on  the 
night  of  October  4th,  the  bandits  captured  and  killed  two 
soldiers  of  the  Fourteenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  stationed  with 
their  company  at  Fort  Scott,  who  were  permitted  to  go 
home  to  visit  their  families  in  that  county  for  a  few  days, 
before  going  south  with  the  next  supply  train  as  part  of 
the  escort. 

There  were  several  persons  who  were  near  and  saw 
the  outlaws,  but  who  escaped  from  them  and  came  into 
the  post  and  reported  what  they  had  seen,  which  caused  an 
alarm  that  night  and  the  calling  out  of  the  troops  and  the 
strengthening  of  the  pickets  on  all  the  roads  leading  into 
the  post  from  the  east. 

The  threatening  situation  at  Fort  Smith,  according  to 
his  latest  advices,  gave  General  Blunt  much  anxiety,  and 
having  made  the  necessary  preparations  for  returning  to 
that  place  with  his  headquarters,  and  members  of  his 
staff,  he  left  Fort  Scott  at  four  o'clock  Sunday  afternoon, 
October  4th,  with  an  escort  of  one  hundred  men,  composed 
of  part  of  a  company  of  the  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  un 
der  Lieutenant  J.  G.  Cavert,  and  part  of  a  company  of  the 
Fourteenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  under  Lieutenant  R.  H.  Pierce 
and  his  brigade  band  and  clerks  and  orderlies. 

Before  his  departure  his  brigade  band  played  in  front 
of  his  headquarters  on  the  plaza,  and  a  good  many 
citizens  and  soldiers  turned  out  to  see  him  off;  it  was  a 
clear,  lovely  afternoon,  and  many  of  those  present  said  that 
they  never  before  heard  music  sound  so  sweetly.  With 
members  of  his  staff,  band,  escort,  and  train,  the  Gen 
eral  marched  out  that  evening  six  miles  south  of  the  post 
and  encamped  until  the  next  morning,  when,  starting  early, 
he  resumed  the  march  to  Cow  Creek,  where  he  went 
into  camp  for  the  night. 

Resuming  the  march  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  he  ar 
rived  about  twelve  o'clock  that  day  within  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  of  Lieutenant  Pond's  camp  at  Baxter  Springs,  but  not 
/n  sigh):  of  it  on  account  of  intervening  higher  ground, 


314  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

and  being  in  advance  of  his  train  and  escort,  for  perhaps 
a  quarter  of  a  mile,  with  members  of  his  staff,  halted  a 
few  moments  for  them  to  come  up.  At  this  time  and  while 
waiting  for  his  wagons  to  close  up,  his  attention  was 
called  to  about  150  mounted  men,  some  three  hundred 
yards  to  his  left,  forming  in  line  and  advancing  from 
the  timber  on  Spring  River. 

The  situation  was  puzzling  although  the  movements 
of  the  advancing  force  were  such  as  to  arouse  the  sus 
picion  that  they  were  not  friends,  the  General  and  mem 
bers  of  his  staff  at  first  thought  that  they  were  Lieutenant 
Pond's  men  out  on  drill,  returning  from  a  scout,  or  out  to 
give  him  a  reception.  To  ascertain  the  meaning  of  this 
large  force  approaching  from  his  left  front,  Captain  W. 
S.  Tough,  his  chief  of  scouts,  rode  forward  a  hundred  yards 
or  so  to  make  an  examination,  and  returned  in  a  moment  and 
reported  to  the  General  that  the  men  were  rebels,  and  that 
a  fight  was  going  on  at  Lieutenant  Pond's  camp. 

There  was  little  time  afforded  to  determine  who  the 
men  were,  and  General  Blunt  himself  rode  forward  far 
enough  to  hear  a  brisk  firing  at  Lieutenant  Pond's  camp, 
and  satisfy  himself  that  the  force  on  his  left  were  enemies, 
although  they  were  all  wearing  the  Federal  uniform.  His 
Assistant  Adjutant  General,  Major  H.  Z.  Curtis,  immedi 
ately  ordered  the  escort  into  line  facing  the  enemy,  with 
the  wagons  and  band  in  the  rear,  but  hesitated  to  com 
mence  the  attack  of  superior  numbers.  The  three  com 
panies  of  bandits  on  the  left  of  General  Blunt  were  under 
the  immediate  command  of  Quantrill,  who  had  just  charged 
Lieutenant  Pond's  camp,  part  of  the  tents  of  which  were 
on  the  west  of  and  on  the  outside  of  the  fortifications,  and 
who  had  been  driven  off  and  had  rallied  and  reformed  on 
the  edge  of  the  prairie  about  two  hundred  yards  north  of 
the  camp.  Quantrill  had  scarcely  reformed  his  three  com 
panies  in  line  when  he  observed  General  Blunt's  escort  ad 
vancing  on  the  Military  Road  from  the  direction  of  Fort 
Scott,  and  at  the  same  time  heard  sharp  firing  around 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  315 

the  camp  at  Baxter  Springs  where  the  other  half  of  his 
command  which  had  gone  around  on  the  south  side  of  it 
were  hotly  engaged.  He  ordered  these  men  to  join  him  at 
once,  which  they  did  on  the  double  quick. 

Having  concentrated  his  men  in  front  of  General 
Blunt's  escort,  and  seeing  from  the  length  of  the  line  that 
there  were  less  than  one  hundred  men  in  it  ordered  his 
men  to  fire  a  volley  into  them  and  then  to  charge,  and  on 
approaching  within  sixty  yards,  the  escort  fired  a  volley 
into  the  bandits,  but  seeing  that  in  another  moment  they 
would  be  surrounded  by  a  force  that  looked  like  a  regiment, 
turned  in  flight  over  the  prairie. 

It  was  then  a  race  for  life  with  the  men  of  the  escort. 
General  Blunt  and  his  Assistant  Adjutant  General,  Major 
Curtis,  vainly  endeavored  to  rally  the  men;  but  it  was 
impossible  to  rally  them  against  such  vastly  superior 
numbers  in  the  open  prairie,  and  the  bandits  closed  in  on 
them,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  two  or  three  miles,  shot  down 
and  killed  all  the  men  overtaken  wounded,  or  captured, 
except  about  half  a  dozen  who  feigned  death  after  they 
were  terribly  wounded.  After  a  flight  of  about  a  mile  and 
a  half,  General  Blunt  succeeded  in  rallying  fifteen  men  of 
his  scattered  escort,  with  whom  he  kept  off  at  a  distance 
the  bandits  who  were  pursuing  him,  and  even  turned  upon 
them,  causing  them  to  retire  upon  their  main  force.  Re 
flecting  on  the  further  course  he  should  pursue,  he  de 
termined  to  send  Lieutenant  J.  E.  Tappan,  one  of  his  aides- 
de-camp  with  five  men,  back  to  Fort  Scott,  with  instruc 
tions  to  Colonel  Blair  to  send  forward  at  once  re-enforce 
ments  of  all  the  men  who  could  be  spared  from  that  post, 
and  with  the  other  nine  men  he  watched  the  movements 
of  the  bandits  until  they  left  the  field  about  five  o'clock 
and  moved  off  south  on  the  military  road  in  the  direction 
of  Fort  Gibson. 

In  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  Major  Curtis,  who 
had  become  separated  from  General  Blunt  after  the  escort 
broke,  had  his  horse  shot  in  the  hip  while  riding  beside 


316  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Lieutenant  Pierce,  which  so  excited  or  disabled  the  animal, 
that  in  jumping  a  ravine,  it  fell,  throwing  the  Major  over 
its  head,  when  he  was  captured  and  shot.  His  new  uni 
form,  with  gold  lace  and  regulation  buttons,  made  him  a 
conspicuous  mark  for  the  outlaws. 

Determined  to  let  no  part  of  the  escort  escape,  even 
though  unarmed,  part  of  the  bandits  turned  their  atten 
tion  to  murdering  the  teamsters  with  the  wagons,  and  the 
members  of  the  band. 

During  the  excitement  of  the  bloody  scenes  around 
him,  the  driver  of  the  band  wagon,  with  the  members  of 
the  band  in  it,  endeavored  to  escape  in  a  direction  differ 
ent  from  that  taken  by  the  escort;  but  after  getting  about 
half  a  mile  away  one  of  the  wheels  came  off  the  wagon, 
and  it  was  soon  overtaken  by  the  bandits,  and  all  the 
members  of  the  band,  fourteen  in  number,  and  the  driver 
and  James  O'Neal,  special  artist  for  Frank  Leslie's  Illus 
trated  Newspaper,  were  murdered,  shot  through  the  head, 
and  their  bodies  thrown  into  or  under  the  wagon  and  the 
wagon  set  on  fire,  so  that  some  of  them  were  found  to 
be  horribly  burned  and  disfigured,  when  the  killed  and 
wounded  were  collected. 

No  sense  of  honor  or  humanity  was  shown  by  the 
bandits  for  in  many  instances  where  the  soldiers  were 
closely  pursued,  they  were  told  that  if  they  would  sur 
render  they  would  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war;  but  in 
every  case  the  moment  they  surrendered  and  were  dis 
armed,  they  were  shot  down,  sometimes  even  with  their 
own  arms  in  the  hands  of  the  bandits. 

Having  heard  nothing  of  Quantrill's  operations  in  that 
section,  and  the  large  force  he  was  commanding,  led  many 
of  the  Federal  soldiers  to  believe  that  it  was  a  regular 
Confederate  force,  and  that  the  promises  of  fair  treatment 
would  be  respected,  otherwise  they  would  have  sold  their 
lives  as  dearly  as  possible,  and  the  bandits  would  have 
had  a  heavier  list  of  casualties  than  they  had  at  the  end  of 
their  bloody  and  fiendish  work. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  317 

While  Quantrill  was  being  re-enforced  by  that  part 
of  his  command  which  had  attacked  Lieutenant  Pond's 
camp  on  the  south  and  southwest  sides,  Major  Henning, 
Provost-Marshal  on  General  Blunt 's  staff,  rode  forward  a 
few  yards  in  advance  of  the  General  until  he  came  to  the 
crest  of  the  ridge  and  in  sight  of  the  camp,  to  reconnoiter, 
so  that  when  the  bandits  opened  fire  and  advanced  on  a 
charge,  he  and  Captain  Tough  were  so  far  on  the  right 
of  the  Federal  line  that  the  difficulty  of  reaching  Lieuten 
ant  Pond's  camp  seemed  less  than  rejoining  the  escort. 

Having  witnessed  from  the  crest  of  the  ridge  the 
break  in  the  line  of  the  escort,  and  the  failure  of  General 
Blunt  and  Major  Curtis  to  rally  the  men,  Major  Kenning 
and  Captain  Tough  dashed  forward  and  arrived  at  the 
camp  in  safety,  but  in  doing  so  passed  several  bandits  who 
had  not  reached  their  line  in  time  to  participate  in  the 
charge,  and  exchanged  shots  with  them  killing  one  and 
wounding  another  and  rescuing  several  prisoners. 

Major  Henning  at  once  saw  Lieutenant  Pond  and 
urged  him  to  collect  all  his  cavalry  and  go  to  the  imme 
diate  assistance  of  General  Blunt  and  the  escort;  but  un 
fortunately  all  the  available  mounted  men  at  the  station 
had  that  morning  been  sent  out  with  a  forage  train  and 
had  not  returned.  With  keen  disappointment  at  finding 
that  the  cavalry  were  nearly  all  absent  from  the  station, 
and  that  there  were  not  enough  of  the  Colored  Infantry, 
being  less  than  a  full  company,  to  engage  on  the  open 
prairie  the  superior  forces  of  the  bandits  with  any  pros 
pect  of  success,  the  Major  took  half  a  dozen  mounted  men 
from  the  campr  and  with  Captain  Tough  returned  to  the 
high  ground  on  the  prairie  where  the  escort  had  first 
formed,  in  time  to  witness  the  last  scene  of  the  bloody 
tragedy,  the  murdering  of  the  members  of  the  band,  and 
the  plundering  of  the  train  of  the  valuable  effects  of  the 
officers  and  soldiers. 

It  was  ascertained  that  the  alarm  at  Fort  Scott  the 
night  General  Blunt  left,  was  caused  by  Quantrill's  fore* 


318  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

passing  some  fifteen  miles  east  of  that  post  that  night, 
and  the  belief  of  the  parties  who  saw  them  that  they  in 
tended  to  attack  that  place.  Instead,  however,  of  going 
to  Fort  Scott,  the  bandits  continued  their  march  nearly 
south,  bearing  a  little  west  all  the  time,  and  marching 
almost  on  a  parallel  line  with  General  Blunt,  the  lines  of 
march  of  the  two  forces  converging  to  a  point  at  Baxter 
Springs.  When  Captain  Brinker,  commanding  Quantrill's 
advance,  arrived  near  Baxter  Springs,  about  twelve  o'clock, 
he  halted  and  reported  a  train  ahead.  He  immediately  re 
ceived  instructions  to  press  on  and  ascertain  to  whom  the 
train  belonged  and  what  troops  were  with  it.  Advancing 
at  a  brisk  pace,  he  soon  came  in  sight  of  Lieutenant  Pond's 
camp  which  he  supposed  was  the  camp  of  the  train,  and 
finding  that  he  was  not  discovered,  fell  back  a  hundred 
yards  or  so  until  the  main  command  came  up. 

All  unconscious  of  danger,  it  so  happened  that  at  the 
time  QuantrilFs  advance  came  up  in  sight  of  the  Federal 
camp,  most  of  Lieutenant  Pond's  men  were  at  dinner,  and 
others  were  strolling  about  camp,  or  in  the  woods  near 
camp.  There  was  no  picket  or  camp  guard  out  to  give 
warning  of  an  approaching  foe,  so  that  when  Quantrill 
came  up  with  his  main  force  to  where  his  advance  halted, 
he  formed  his  men  in  column  by  fours  and  ordered  them 
to  charge  the  camp,  leading  the  head  of  the  column  him 
self. 

In  the  charge  the  bandits  saw  several  of  the  Union  sol 
diers  who  were  between  the  camp  and  the  river,  and  fired 
upon  them,  and  it  was  these  scattering  shots  that  attracted 
the  attention  of  some  of  the  soldiers  in  camp;  but  before 
they  could  get  inside  the  fortifications  and  to  their  arms, 
the  outlaws  were  all  around  and  in  camp,  firing  desperately 
with  pistols  and  carbines,  and  receiving  from  the  defend 
ers  shot  for  shot  until  they  were  driven  out.  In  the  con 
flict  in  camp,  Sergeant  W.  L.  McKenzie,  Third  Wisconsin 
Cavalry,  was  among  the  first  of  the  man  to  hear  the  hostile 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  319 

shots  in  the  direction  of  the  river,  and  hastened  to  Lieu 
tenant  Pond's  tent  to  arouse  him  and  to  give  the  alarm  of 
the  nearness  of  the  enemy.  At  this  moment  the  colored 
soldiers,  who  were  eating  their  dinner  under  a  shed  or  an 
arbor  a  few  yards  south  of  the  breastworks  on  the  south 
side  of  them,  started  for  their  quarters  in  the  blockhouse, 
where  they  had  their  arms  and  ammunition,  when  they 
heard  and  saw  the  bandits  coming  up  on  a  charge  and 
firing  at  the  soldiers  near  camp. 

It  was  under  great  difficulties  that  the  Federal  sol 
diers  were  rallied  for  making  a  stubborn  fight.  Lieu 
tenant  Pond  and  some  of  his  men  who  were  in  the  west 
ern  part  and  on  the  outskirts  of  the  camp  were  obliged  to 
pass  through  the  ranks  of  the  bandits  to  get  to  their  arms, 
and  four  of  his  men  were  shot  down  in  endeavoring  to 
accomplish  this  task.  It  took  only  a  few  moments,  how 
ever,  after  the  white  and  colored  soldiers  were  rallied  to 
drive  the  bandits  out  of  the  breastworks  and  out  of  camp. 

While  the  struggle  was  going  on  in  and  around  the 
camp,  Lieutenant  Pond  got  his  twelve  pounder  howitzer 
to  work,  which  was  outside  the  rifle  pits  on  the  north  side, 
and  after  a  few  rounds  of  canister,  drove  the  bandits  be 
yond  range  of  that  side,  and  when  the  colored  soldiers 
got  into  the  blockhouse,  they  kept  up  such  a  hot  fire  that 
they  drove  the  bandits  beyond  range  or  to  jseek  shelter 
behind  trees. 

The  Union  soldiers  realized  the  desperate  nature  of 
the  conflict,  and  a  desultory  and  sometimes  sharp  firing 
was  kept  up  between  them  and  the  bandits  until  Quan- 
trill  ordered  that  part  of  his  command  south  and  southwest 
of  the  camp  to  join  him  where  he  had  formed  line  in  the 
edge  of  the  prairie  north  of  the  camp  to  attack  General 
Blunt's  escort  in  line  facing  him. 

When  the  Union  soldiers  saw  this  movement  of  the 
bandits,  as  the  latter  passed  around  the  west  side  of  the 
camp  to  the  south  side,  they  supposed  that  the  enemy 
were  preparing  for  a  more  determined  attack,  and  a  few 


320  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

moments  later  when  they  heard  the  firing  between  them 
and  the  escort,  they  did  not  know  what  it  meant  until 
Major  Henning  and  Captain  Tough  dashed  in. 

Having  completed  their  bloody  work  of  murdering  all 
the  prisoners  and  wounded  Federal  soldiers  who  fell  into 
their  hands  and  stripping  most  of  them  of  their  clothing, 
and  plundering  the  train,  the  bandits  formed  in  line  of 
battle  on  the  prairie  west  of  camp,  and  Captain  Todd  was 
sent  by  Quantrill  under  a  flag  of  truce  to  demand  the  sur 
render  of  the  station,  which  was,  of  course,  refused  by 
Lieutenant  Pond.  Todd  also  spoke  about  an  exchange  of 
prisoners;  but  Lieutenant  Pond  had  not  captured  any  of 
the  bandits,  and  those  who  were  wounded  near  camp 
were  carried  away,  or  managed  to  get  away  before  the  ar 
rival  of  the  flag  of  truce. 

The  question  of  attacking  the  camp  again  was  de 
bated  by  Quantrill  and  his  officers,  but  finding  that  the 
troops  were  fortified,  that  they  had  one  howitzer,  that 
they  would  be  better  prepared  than  in  the  first  attack,  and 
that  it  would  be  a  fight  to  the  death  with  them,  they  con 
cluded  that  it  would  cost  them  too  great  a  sacrifice  of  life 
to  attempt  to  take  the  camp  by  assault.  They  therefore 
marched  off  south  about  five  o'clock,  taking  their  wounded 
along  and  some  of  the  most  important  trophies  that  fell 
into  in  their  hands. 

Their  movements  were  watched  by  General  Blunt  with 
a  few  men  whom  he  had  rallied,  keeping  in  sight  of  them 
until  they  had  crossed  the  Neosho  River,  when  he  returned 
to  Lieutenant  Pond's  camp  at  Baxter  that  evening  and 
awaited  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Blair  with  troops  from  Fort 
Scott.  Mindful  of  the  danger  to  the  troops  at  Fort  Gibson 
and  vicinity,  of  being  surprised  by  the  outlaws,  the  General 
put  scouts  on  their  trail,  and  dispatched  couriers  to  the 
commanding  officers  at  Fort  Gibson  and  Webber's  Falls, 
directing  them  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  the  bandits,  and 
if  possible  intercept  them  at  the  Arkansas  River, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  321 

On  the  departure  of  the  bandits  from  the  field,  the 
work  of  collecting  the  dead  and  wounded  was  commenced. 
They  were  scattered  over  the  prairie  for  nearly  two  miles 
from  the  scene  of  the  first  attack.  Lieutenant  Cook,  com 
manding  the  company  of  the  Second  Kansas  Colored  In 
fantry,  and  several  soldiers  were  killed  east  of  the  camp 
before  they  could  get  to  their  quarters ;  Lieutenant  A.  W. 
Fair,  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  Judge  Advocate  on  General 
Blunt's  staff,  was  killed  near  where  the  escort  first  formed 
and  received  the  charge  of  the  enemy. 

The  Federal  loss  in  the  disaster  was  three  officers, 
sixty-seven  enlisted  men,  and  ten  citizens  killed,  and  eigh 
teen  enlisted  men  wounded,  including  the  killed  and 
wounded  in  the  fight  at  the  camp.  Lieutenant  Pond  re 
ported  that  the  bandits  left  eleven  men  killed  on  the  field, 
number  of  wounded  not  known. 

Nearly  all  the  soldiers  and  citizens  of  the  escort  who 
were  killed  were  found  to  have  been  shot  through  the 
head,  and  most  of  them  had  been  shot  five  or  six  times, 
thus  showing  the  fiendish  character  of  the  outlaws. 

According  to  QuantrilPs  report  to  General  Price,  he 
left  a  trail  of  murder  through  the  Indian  country  until 
he  arrived  at  the  camp  of  General  Cooper  in  the  Choctaw 
Nation. 

After  giving  Lieutenant  Pond  instructions  to  strength 
en  his  position  at  Baxter,  General  Blunt  with  the  troops 
under  Colonel  Blair,  returned  to  Fort  Scott  to  look  after 
the  safety  of  that  post,  as  Colonel  Shelby  was  then  making 
his  raid  north  through  Missouri,  and  it  was  thought  that 
he  might  send  a  part  of  his  force  to  attack  the  Federal 
stations  along  the  line  of  Missouri  and  Kansas. 


222  Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th$  Civil  War. 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  SHELBY  RAID— OPERATIONS  IN  INDIAN 
TERRITORY 

One  of  the  principal  events  in  the  fall  of  1863  was 
Shelby's  Raid  into  Missouri.  After  Price's  army  was 
driven  from  Little  Rock,  the  General  detached  Colonel 
Shelby  for  an  expedition  into  Missouri,  with  a  picked  force 
of  six  hundred  men  from  three  regiments  and  three  pieces 
of  artillery,  for  hostile  operations  and  to  secure  recruits 
for  the  Southern  army. 

With  this  force  the  Colonel  left  Price's  army  on  the 
22d  of  September,  and  forded  the  Arkansas  River  near 
Ozark.  From  this  point  his  progress  north  was  rapid,  and 
on  the  30th  he  encamped  at  McKissick  Springs,  Benton 
county,  where  he  was  joined  by  Colonel  Hunter,  of  Vernon 
county,  Missouri,  with  two  hundred  men.  He  then  marched 
to  Pineville,  Missouri,  where  he  was  joined  by  Colonel 
Coffee,  of  Dade  county,  with  four  hundred  men. 

He  now  had  a  veteran  force  of  twelve  hundred  well 
mounted  men  and  three  pieces  of  artillery,  and  was  able 
to  successfully  attack  and  reduce  any  fortified  position 
held  by  the  Union  Militia  in  Southwest  Missouri.  His 
advance  north  had  been  so  rapid  and  without  opposition 
that  no  reports  of  his  movements  had  reached  the  com 
manding  officers  of  stations  in  Southwest  Missouri,  until 
he  was  before  them  and  preparing  to  attack. 

His  first  offensive  movement,  after  receiving  his  re- 
enforcements,  was  against  Neosho,  where  two  or  three 
companies  of  Union  Militia  were  usually  stationed,  using 
the  brick  court  house,  whose  walls  were  pierced  for  loop 
holes,  for  defense  if  attacked  by  a  superior  force  of  the 
enemy.  Captain  McAfee  of  the  Sixth  Missouri  State 
Militia  Cavalry,  was  there  at  the  time  with  three  companies 
of  his  regiment,  and  a  few  Enrolled  Missouri  Militia  under 
Lieutenant  Waters,  in  all  about  one  hundred  and  eighty 
men.  i,  ^^f 

On  leaving  Pineville  early  on  the  morning  of  the  4th 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  323 

of  October,  Colonel  Shelby  divided  his  command  into  two 
columns,  one  under  Colonel  Coffee  to  advance  on  the 
Buffalo  road  and  approach  the  town  from  the  west,  and 
the  other  column  under  Colonels  Gordon,  Shanks,  Hunter 
and  Hooper  to  advance  north  on  the  Neosho  and  Pine- 
ville  road  and  approach  the  town  from  the  south. 

Captain  McAfee  had  arrived  at  Neosho  about  eleven 
o'clock  that  day  from  Newtonia  to  join  Major  King  of  his 
regiment  in  the  field,  supposed  to  be  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Pineville,  and  marching  out  on  the  Buffalo  road,  met 
Coffee's  men  about  two  miles  out.  They  commenced  to 
form  line,  then  retired  a  short  distance  and  commenced 
to  move  around  his  left  in  the  direction  of  Neosho.  Cap 
tain  McAfee  then  fell  back  to  town  and  entered  it  on 
one  side  while  the  enemy  entered  it  on  the  other.  In  a 
few  moments  there  was  lively  firing  between  the  belligerent 
forces.  Captain  McAfee  finally  drove  the  enemy  back 
out  of  range,  but  they  soon  advanced  again,  and  at  the 
same  time  his  attention  was  called  to  bodies  of  the  enemy 
moving  upon  the  town  in  different  directions,  and  believing 
it  impossible  to  cut  his  way  out,  he  ordered  his  men  to 
occupy  the  court  house,  and  he  fought  them  from  that 
position  until  they  had  shot  four  cannon  balls  through  it, 
when  Shelby  sent  in  a  flag  of  truce  demanding  the  sur 
render  of  the  place. 

Captain  McAfee  had  a  few  of  the  Missouri  Enrolled 
Militia  in  the  court  house  with  him,  and  also  a  number 
of  Union  citizens,  and  in  the  parley  under  the  flag  of  truce, 
agreed  to  the  terms  of  surrender,  provided  all  were  treated 
as  prisoners  of  war.  Colonel  Shelby  at  first  refused  to 
treat  the  Enrolled  Militia  as  prisoners  of  war,  but  finally 
agreed  to  do  so,  and  the  whole  force  of  about  180  Militia 
and  citizens  were  surrendered  and  paroled  that  evening, 
losing  all  their  baggage  and  equipage.* 

*The  writer's  father  was  one  of  the  Union  men  captured  in  the 
court  house.  He  was  told  he  was  listed  for  execution.  He  exchanged 
his  coat  and  hat  with  a  soldier  and  slipped  out  and  escaped. 


324  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Captain  McAfee  reported  the  Union  loss  four  killed 
and  four  wounded,  and  the  Confederate  loss  five  killed 
and  nine  wounded.  Lieutenant  Waters  and  one  man  of 
the  Enrolled  Militia  were  killed  after  they  were  paroled 
by  Coffee's  men. 

From  Neosho  Shelby  marched  to  Sarcoxie,  Greenfield, 
Stockton  and  Warsaw  on  the  Osage,  without  any  serious 
opposition.  The  information  of  his  capture  of  Captain 
McAfee's  force  at  Neosho,  and  his  march  north  from  that 
place  with  a  large  force  of  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thou 
sand  men  and  three  pieces  of  artillery,  was  conveyed 
quickly  to  the  commanding  officers  of  the  Federal  forces 
in  Southwest  Missouri,  and  messengers  sent  to  the  com 
manding  officers  of  stations  on  his  probable  line  of  march, 
to  be  on  the  lookout  for  his  advance,  and  not  to  attempt 
to  engage  him,  but  to  retire  with  all  their  supplies  and 
equipments. 

It  was  the  consensus  of  opinion  of  the  Federal  officers 
in  Southwest  Missouri  that  Shelby's  first  objective  was 
the  Missouri  River  counties  in  Central  and  Western  Mis 
souri,  and  that  immediate  steps  should  be  taken  to  con 
centrate  all  the  available  Union  forces  south  of  the  Osage 
at  points  favorable  for  intercepting  his  return  march  south 
for  they  knew  that  the  Union  commanders  of  the  Districts 
of  Central  and  Western  Missouri,  would  be  advised  of 
his  movements  after  crossing  to  the  north  side  of  the 
Osage,  and  be  able  to  concentrate  their  forces  in  suf- 
fient  number  to  engage  and  defeat  him,  and  possibly  cap 
ture  and  break  up  his  organization  and  prevent  him  from 
taking  a  large  amount  of  loot  or  captured  property  out  of 
the  State  with  him. 

General  Brown,  commanding  the  General  District  of 
Missouri,  and  General  Ewing,  the  Western,  were  advised 
by  General  Schofield,  the  Department  Commander,  of  the 
movements  of  the  Confederate  forces  north,  and  they  con- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  325 

centrated  their  forces  and  gave  Shelby  no  rest  after  his 
forces  crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  Osage,  until  they 
were  defeated,  demoralized  and  driven  out. 

General  Brown  assumed  command  of  the  troops  of  his 
district  in  person,  and  directed  their  movements  in  all 
operations  against  the  enemy  from  the  time  they  entered 
his  district  until  they  were  driven  out  of  it.  His  active 
troops  in  the  field  were  the  First,  Fourth  and  Seventh 
Regiments  Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  and  part  of  the 
Ninth  Regiment  of  Missouri  Enrolled  Militia,  and  Captain 
Thos.  Carr's  Battery,  First  Missouri  State  Militia  Light 
Artillery.  A  running  fight  was  kept  up  with  Shelby's 
forces  for  several  days,  when  General  Brown,  who  was  in 
pursuit,  directed  Colonel  Lazear  of  the  First  Missouri 
State  Militia  Cavalry  to  take  his  regiment  and  march  on 
a  road  direct  to  Marshall,  to  head  off  the  enemy,  which 
he  did.  He  had  been  in  position  only  a  short  time  when 
Shelby's  whole  force  came  up  and  commenced  the  attack 
at  eight  o'clock  with  artillery  and  the  mounted  men  of 
several  regiments. 

Colonel  Lazear's  command  was  made  up  of  five  hun 
dred  men  of  his  regiment,  the  First,  Major  Kelley's  Bat 
talion  of  the  Fourth  State  Militia  Cavalry,  Major  Gentry's 
battalion  of  the  Fifth  Provisional  Regiment,  Missouri  En 
rolled  Militia,  and  a  detachment  of  the  Ninth  Provisional 
Regiment,  Missouri  Enrolled  Militia,  under  Captain  Wear, 
and  two  guns  of  Thurbur's  Battery,  a  total  of  1,020  men. 
Colonel  Lazear  was  determined  to  hold  the  enemy  until 
the  arrival  of  re-enforcements  under  General  Brown. 

The  Confederates  made  desperate  efforts  to  fight 
their  way  into  town,  but  Colonel  Lazear's  forces  repulsed 
them  every  time  they  advanced  for  more  than  two  hours, 
when  General  Brown  came  up  with  Colonel  Philips'  Sev 
enth  Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry  and  two  pieces  of 
Thurbur's  Battery,  and  attacked  the  Confederates  in  the 
rear  and  flank  breaking  their  line  and  capturing  their  best 
gun. 


326  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

After  the  Confederate  line  was  broken,  the  main  force 
under  Colonel  Shelby  retreated  rapidly  north  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Miami,  and  was  hotly  pursued  by  Colonel  Phillips 
with  most  of  his  regiment  and  the  battalions  of  Major 
Kelley  and  Major  Gentry,  and  forced  to  abandon  their 
train  of  plunder  and  ammunition.  After  passing  through 
Waverly  on  the  Missouri  River,  they  turned  south,  still 
pursued  by  Colonel  Phillips  until  Colonel  Weer,  Tenth 
Kansas  Infantry,  of  General  Swing's  District,  passed 
to  the  front  and  took  up  the  pursuit,  later  to  be  relieved  by 
Colonel  Lazear,  First  Missouri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  from 
Marshall,  who  continued  the  pursuit  to  Warrensburg,  where 
General  Ewing  came  up  with  part  of  his  forces. 

That  part  of  the  Confederate  forces  under  Colonel 
Hunter,  which  was  cut  off  from  the  main  force  in  the  ac 
tion  at  Marshall  retreated  east  and  in  a  southeast  direc 
tion,  and  was  pursued  by  Colonel  Hall  of  the  Fourth  Mis 
souri  State  Militia  Cavalry,  with  part  of  his  regiment,  un 
til  he  lost  their  trail  near  Duroc,  on  the  Osage  River. 

The  two  columns  of  the  Confederate  forces,  after  they 
crossed  to  the  south  side  of  the  Osage  River,  were  pursued 
by  the  Federal  forces  of  Southwest  Missouri,  and  by 
General  Ewing  with  part  of  the  forces  of  his  District  of 
the  Border,  far  into  the  Boston  Mountains  in  Arkansas,  in 
a  demoralized  condition. 

Very  soon  after  Colonel  Hunter  crossed  to  the  south 
side  of  the  Osage,  he  was  vigorously  pursued  by  Major 
Austin  A.  King,  Jr.,  commanding  detachments  of  the 
Sixth  and  Eighth  Regiments,  Missouri  State  Militia  Cav 
alry.  He  had  been  watching  the  fords  of  the  Osage  in  the 
vicinity  of  Warsaw,  and  when  he  ascertained  that  the  Con 
federates  had  crossed  the  Osage  below  him  he  marched 
rapidly  and  overtook  their  rear  guard  and  had  a  running 
fight  with  them  to  Humansville,  where  he  captured  their 
last  piece  of  artillery  that  they  brought  into  the  State, 
with  forty  rounds  of  ammunition,  besides  killing  three  of 
their  men. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  327 

When  Shelby  returned  with  his  command  to  Prlce'i 
army  near  Washington,  in  southern  Arkansas,  on  Novem 
ber  3d,  there  was  no  menacing  Southern  force  between  the 
Missouri  and  Arkansas  Rivers.  His  expedition  was  prob 
ably  more  beneficial  to  the  Union  than  to  the  Confederate 
cause.  The  loss  of  his  artillery  and  his  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  could  not  possibly  have  strengthened  the  morale 
of  his  friends  in  Missouri,  or  the  Confederate  troops  at  the 
front.  He  claimed  to  have  gained  a  few  hundred  recruits, 
but  they  were  men  who  belonged  to  Southern  Partisan 
bands,  that  the  Unionists  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas  were 
glad  to  get  rid  of.  It  was  certainly  a  boon  to  the  Union 
ists  to  have  the  forces  of  Colonels  Coffee  and  Hunter,  and 
the  remnant  of  Livingston's  band,  removed  from  South 
west  Missouri  and  Northwest  Arkansas  and  the  eastern 
part  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  where  they  had  been  operat 
ing  the  latter  part  of  the  summer,  in  spite  of  a  number  of 
expeditions  of  Federal  forces  sent  against  them. 

After  Shelby's  expedition  into  Missouri,  there  was 
some  readjustment  of  Federal  troops  and  commanders  in 
Western  Arkansas.  Colonel  Harrison  of  the  First  Arkan 
sas  Cavalry,  who  had  taken  part  in  the  operations  against 
Shelby,  reoccupied  Fayetteville  on  the  18th  of  October. 
General  McNeil,  who  had  been  in  command  of  the  Dis 
trict  of  Southwest  Missouri,  and  who  pursued  Shelby 
through  the  mountains  of  Arkansas  to  Clarksville  on  the 
Arkansas  River,  arrived  at  Fort  Smith  on  the  30th,  and 
assumed  command  of  the  District  of  the  Frontier  in  com 
pliance  with  orders  from  General  Schofield. 

The  country  between  Cassville,  Fayetteville  and  Van 
Buren  had  been  so  thoroughly  purged  of  Southern 
Partisan  bands  that  General  McNeil  reported  the  comple 
tion  of  the  Telegraph  line  to  the  latter  place  in  the  early 
part  of  November,  giving  him  direct  communication  with 
Department  headquarters  at  St.  Louis. 


328  Th*  Unim  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War. 

After  Quantrill  marched  south  from  the  Baxter 
Springs  massacre,  there  was  almost  three  months  of  un 
disturbed  peace  and  quiet  in  the  Indian  Teritory  north  of 
the  Arkansas  River;  but  south  of  the  river  in  the  Choctaw 
Nation  there  came  a  ripple  of  excitement  among  the 
Federal  troops  at  Fort  Smith,  Fort  Gibson,  and  outposts  at 
Webber's  Falls  and  other  points,  caused  by  the  hostile 
movements  of  Confederate  General  Steele,  commanding 
the  Southern  forces  in  the  Indian  country,  the  latter  part 
of  October. 

Hearing  of  Shelby's  successful  expedition  into  Mis 
souri,  and  without  waiting  to  hear  of  the  denouement,  and 
on  receiving  the  re-enforcement  of  General  Bankhead's 
Brigade  of  Texas  Cavalry,  General  Steele  undertook  the 
reorganization  of  his  forces  with  the  view  of  capturing 
Fort  Smith.  He  concentrated  his  forces  at  Northfork, 
worked  out  the  plan  of  surprising  and  capturing  the  Fed 
eral  force  at  Fort  Smith,  and  advanced  within  thirty-five 
miles  of  that  place  with  his  brigade  of  Indians  and  brigade 
of  Texans  under  General  Gano,  in  all  a  total  force  of  three 
thousand  mounted  troops  and  a  battery  of  artillery.  He 
made  out  the  orders  to  each  of  his  brigade  commanders, 
assigning  them  to  the  positions  they  were  to  take  with 
their  troops  in  making  the  attack.  General  Cooper  re 
ported  to  him  that  the  distance  was  so  great  that  he  could 
not  reach  the  position  with  his  Indians  in  the  prescribed 
time  to  be  effective. 

General  Steele  then  moved  his  command  around  to  a 
position  twenty  miles  south  of  Fort  Smith,  and  was  pre 
paring  to  make  the  attack  from  that  quarter  when  he  was 
struck  by  a  severe  rain  and  snow  storm  which  inter 
rupted  operations.  The  commanding  officers  of  companies 
and  regiments  of  the  Texas  brigade  came  to  him  in  a  body 
and  informed  him  that  their  men  were  suffering  for  want 
of  adequate  clothing,  and  that  under  such  conditions  it  was 
impossible  to  keep  them  together. 


The  Union  Indian    Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  329 

While  these  operations  of  the  Confederate  commander 
were  in  progress,  he  received  information  of  the  arrival 
at  Fort  Smith  of  General  McNeil  with  re-enforcements,  and 
whose  scouts  had  discovered  and  reported  to  him  the 
Confederate  movements  and  threatened  attack,  all  of 
which  impressed  General  Steele  with  the  futility  of  mak 
ing  it. 

The  Texas  Brigade  was  withdrawn  and  marched  to 
Boggy  Depot  to  receive  their  clothing,  after  which  they 
were  ordered  to  take  up  a  position  near  the  Arkansas  line 
about  seventy-five  miles  south  of  Fort  Smith,  and  the 
whole  command  being  out  of  flour  and  other  breadstuffs, 
General  Steele  retired  to  Doaksville,  in  the  Choctaw  Nation, 
taking  part  of  the  Indian  troops  with  him,  and  sending  the 
balance  under  General  Cooper  to  Boggy  Depot. 

After  the  Federal  occupation  of  Fort  Smith,  the  com 
mander  of  the  District  of  the  Frontier  kept  a  strong 
outpost  at  Waldron,  about  fifty-five  miles  southeast  in 
Scott  county,  which  was  between  that  post  and  Price's 
army,  which  had  retreated  from  Arkadelphia  and  was  in 
the  vicinity  of  Washington  and  Camden. 

Colonel  J.  M.  Johnson,  First  Arkansas  Union  In 
fantry,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  0.  A,.  Bassett,  Second  Kan 
sas  Cavalry,  with  a  section  of  Rabb's  Second  Indiana  Bat 
tery,  were  sent  to  Waldron  and  occupied  the  place  for  some 
time,  sending  scouting  detachments  to  the  vicinity  of 
Arkadelphia  and  Washington  to  keep  in  touch  with  Price's 
army,  and  into  the  Choctaw  Nation  to  watch  and  secure 
information  of  the  movements  of  General  Steele's  forces. 

There  were  many  Unionists  who  came  into  the  Fed 
eral  lines  at  Waldron  from  the  mountainous  region  of 
Southern  Arkansas,  and  were  sent  to  Fort  Smith  where 
most  of  those  fit  for  the  military  service  enlisted  in  the 
companies  and  regiments  being  organized  from  that  State. 

It  was  too  late  in  the  season  to  expect  navigation  on 
the  Arkansas  River  before  the  next  spring.  Shelby's  raid 
ing  force  had  recently  forded  it  at  Clarksville  showing  that 


330  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

it  was  not  then  navigable  for  light  draft  steamers  and 
was  not  likely  to  be  during  the  winter.  This  left  the 
Federal  forces  in  Western  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory 
in  a  situation  which  required  that  the  supplies  should  be 
brought  down  by  wagon  transportation  from  Fort  Scott 
by  way  of  Fort  Gibson  to  Fort  Smith,  a  distance  of  more 
than  two  hundred  miles.  This  was  a  long  distance  to  trans 
port  in  wagon  trains  supplies  for  the  army  including 
forage  for  the  animals,  in  mid-winter. 

It  was  a  tremendous  task,  and  made  it  practically  im 
possible  for  the  Federal  commander  at  Fort  Smith  to  un 
dertake  any  aggressive  operations  from  that  place  until 
spring,  or  until  he  could  receive  his  supplies  by  steamer 
from  Little  Rock. 

The  Military  Road  from  Fort  Scott  to  Fort  Gibson  was 
over  a  prairie  region  except  where  it  crossed  the  streams, 
and  if  the  winter  was  severe,  the  icy  blasts  from  the  north 
were  certain  to  cause  much  discomfort,  and  even  suffer 
ing,  among  the  teamsters  and  soldiers  of  the  escort,  and 
their  mounts  and  train  animals.  Baxter  Springs  and 
Fort  Gibson  were  the  only  stations  between  Fort  Scott  and 
Fort  Smith. 

As  early  as  the  tenth  of  November,  the  Marmaton 
River  at  Fort  Scott,  and  nearly  all  the  streams  in  South 
ern  Kansas,  were  frozen  over  almost  solid  by  the  first 
cold  wave,  which  extended  south  beyond  Fort  Gibson  into 
Northern  Texas.  A  large  train  with  an  escort  was  ready 
and  started  south  in  the  midst  of  this  cold  wave,  the 
temperature  going  down  to  nearly  zero,  and  the  soldiers 
and  teamsters  and  animals  not  only  suffered  from  the 
cold,  but  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  water  on  account 
of  the  ice  being  so  thick  on  the  streams.  Fuel,  too,  was 
difficult  to  obtain  for  warmth  at  many  of  the  places 
where  the  escort  and  train  encamped. 

As  the  train  and  escort  were  moving  south,  they  did 
not  suffer  as  much  discomfort  from  the  cold  as  if  they  had 
be^n  moving  north,  facing  the  cold  northwest  wind.  In 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  331 

a  few  days,  however,  the  weather  moderated,  making  it 
more  endurable  to  the  men  and  animals  passing  over  the 
bleak  prairies  en  route. 

When  another  train  and  escort  started  south  from 
Fort  Scott  to  Fort  Smith,  about  the  middle  of  December, 
the  ice  had  not  entirely  left  the  rivers  and  streams,  and 
on  the  18th,  another  cold  wave  spread  over  the  country  of 
the  middle  west,  followed  by  a  heavy  snow,  and  when 
the  trains  arrived  at  Fort  Smith  in  the  early  part  of 
January,  the  Arkansas  River  was  frozen  over  with  ice 
about  a  foot  thick,  or  thick  enough  to  pass  over  the  heavily 
loaded  wagons  of  the  train  and  the  teams,  and  the  artil 
lery  and  caissons.  It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  the 
sufferings  and  discomforts  of  the  soldiers,  teamsters  and 
animals  in  transporting  supplies  to  the  army  at  Fort 
Smith  that  winter. 

With  a  Federal  force  of  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thou 
sand  men  of  all  arms  at  each  Fort  Smith,  Fort  Gibson  and 
Fayetteville,  with  scouts  and  reconnoitering  parties  con 
stantly  kept  out  in  all  directions,  the  movements  of  a 
most  certain  to  be  communicated  to  the  commander  of  one 
certain  to  be  communicated  to  the  commander  of  one  of 
of  those  posts  in  a  very  short  time. 

The  Cherokees  who  had  entered  the  Confederate  serv 
ice  under  the  leadership  of  Colonels  Watie  and  Adair,  and 
whose  country  was  north  of  the  Arkansas,  had  been  kept 
south  of  that  river  during  the  last  year,  except  when  on 
raiding  expeditious  and  were  impatient  to  return  to  their 
homes  to  remove  their  families  south  or  provide  for  their 
necessities  during  the  winter.  The  Confederate  authorities 
had  not  kept  their  promises  to  prevent  the  occupation  of 
their  country  by  the  Federal  forces,  and  they  were  greatly 
discouraged  by  the  turn  of  events. 

After  the  greater  part  of  the  Southern  Indian  forces 
had  retired  with  Generals  Steele  and  Cooper  to  the  south- 
am  part  of  the  Choetaw  Nation,  Colonel  Watie  had  kept 


332  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

his  Cherokees  as  near  the  borders  of  his  country  as  prac 
ticable,  and  when  he  saw  an  opportunity,  determined  to 
make  an  expedition  into  it,  which  would  give  many  of  his 
men  a  chance  of  visiting  their  families  until  their  presence 
became  known  to  the  Federal  commanders  whose  forces 
were  operating  in  that  section. 

About  the  middle  of  December,  Colonel  Watie,  with 
some  three  hundred  well  mounted  Cherokees  crossed  the 
Arkansas  River  below  Webber's  Falls,  and  on  the  22d 
passed  through  Cincinnati,  on  the  State  line,  marching 
north  in  the  direction  of  Maysville.  A  Union  citizen  whose 
house  this  Indian  force  passed  reported  the  fact  at  once  to 
Colonel  Harrison,  at  Fayetteville,  and  reported  also  that 
his  information  was,  the  Indians  were  going  to  concentrate 
at  Colonel  Watie's  Mill  west  of  Maysville,  where  they 
would  stop  a  few  days  and  then  return  south;  that  the 
purpose  of  the  expedition  was  to  remove  the  Southern 
Indian  families  out  of  the  Nation. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  month,  Colonel  Phillips 
directed  Major  Foreman  of  the  Third  Indian  Regiment  to 
take  his  battalion  of  that  regiment  and  move  to  Rhea's 
Mill  in  Arkansas,  about  sixty  miles  northeast  of  Fort 
Gibson,  to  operate  the  mill  in  making  meal  and  flour  for 
his  command,  and  receiving  information  from  his  scouts 
that  Colonel  Watie  was  preparing  to  attack  the  Major  with 
a  superior  force,  ordered  Captain  A.  C.  Spillman  of  the 
Third  Indian  to  re-enforce  him  with  three  hundred  men 
and  a  howitzer,  from  the  First,  Second  and  Third  Indian 
Regiments  with  an  ample  supply  of  ammunition. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  17th,  Captain  Spillman  moved 
out  of  Fort  Gibson  on  the  Parkhill  Road,  and  on  arrival 
at  that  place,  ascertained  that  Colonel  Watie's  men  had 
just  looted  the  house  of  a  loyal  Cherokee  and  left,  march 
ing  in  the  direction  of  Illinois  River,  his  force  estimated 
at  from  500  to  800  mounted  men.  Having  obtained  reliable 
information  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  Captain  Spill 
man  pushed  on  and  encamped  about  mid-night  at  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War.  333 

crossing  of  the  Illinois  River,  feeling  that  he  was  very 
near  the  hostile  force  in  his  front.  Resuming  the  march 
the  next  morning  up  the  Barren  Fork  of  the  Illinois,  he 
was  soon  approached  by  two  small  parties  of  five  and 
ten  men  of  the  enemy,  and  firing  upon  them,  killed  one, 
the  others  escaping,  as  his  force  was  dismounted  and  he 
could  not  pursue  them. 

He  was  satisfied  that  the  enemy  was  near,  and  moving 
forward  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  up  the  stream,  his 
advance  reported  the  Southern  Indians  in  force  ahead,  and 
after  some  reconnoitering,  found  the  hostiles  formed  in 
line  in  a  thickly  wooded  ravine,  dismounted,  their  right 
resting  on  the  road,  and  their  left  extending  up  the  ravine 
to  the  hill  on  the  right  of  the  road.  Having  ascertained 
the  position  of  the  enemy,  he  brought  up  his  howitzer  un 
der  Captain  Willets,  supported  by  95  men  of  the  First 
Indian  Regiment  on  the  right  of  the  road,  and  then  de 
ployed  the  Cherokees  under  Lieutenant  Parsons  of  the 
Third  Indian  Regiment  to  the  right  of  the  howitzer  to  the 
foot  of  the  hill.  Without  waiting  for  the  completion  of  his 
preparations,  the  Southern  Indians  opened  a  heavy  rifle 
fire  upon  his  line,  which  was  replied  to  by  volleys  from  his 
men,  and  several  rounds  of  shell  and  canister  from  his 
howitzer,  which  broke  the  enemy  line,  causing  them  to 
retire  to  a  new  position  and  attempt  to  make  a  stand.  They 
were,  however,  quickly  driven  from  their  new  position 
when  the  Union  Indians  advanced  and  opened  fire  upon 
them  with  their  rifles  and  shell  and  canister  from  their 
howitzer.  The  Southern  Indians  showed  some  persistence 
and  rallied  again  to  be  driven  from  their  position  by  the 
rifle  fire  and  a  few  rounds  of  shell  and  canister  from  the 
howitzer  of  the  Union  Indians,  and  were  finally  routed 
and  made  no  further  attempt  to  rally  and  continue  the 
fight. 

Captain  Spillman  had  no  mounted  force  with  which 
to  push  his  advantage  over  the  routed  enemy,  and  con 
tinued  his  march  to  Rhea's  Mill  to  re-enforce  Major  Fore- 


334  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

man.  Colonel  Watie  moved  his  men  north  in  several  de 
tachments  to  his  mill  on  Spavina,  and  after  spending  a 
few  days  in  that  section  collecting  provisions  and  making 
arrangements  to  move  Southern  Indian  families  south,  re 
treated  to  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas,  and  made 
little  further  trouble  north  of  the  river  during  the  winter. 

In  all  military  operations  the  ranking  officer  present 
of  any  body  of  troops,  may  assume  command.  If  there  are 
two  or  more  officers  of  the  same  rank,  the  officer  holding 
the  oldest  commission  becomes  the  ranking  officer  by 
virtue  of  seniority  of  rank  and  may  assume  command 
without  regard  to  his  qualifications.  His  juniors  in  rank, 
even  when  better  qualified  by  training  for  commander, 
were  subject  to  his  orders.  There  were  many  general  of 
ficers  appointed  by  the  President  from  civil  life  on  account 
of  their  prominence  in  political  affairs,  and  there  were 
Regular  Army  Officers  promoted  to  general  officers  on 
account  of  their  military  training  at  West  Point,  or  who 
had  been  promoted  from  the  Volunteer  Army  in  the  Mexi 
can  War,  and  from  early  in  the  war  there  were  frequent 
charges  made  by  the  friends  of  the  Volunteer  Officers, 
that  Regular  Army  Officers  who  had  been  promoted  to  the 
same  rank,  but  were  junior  in  rank  by  virtue  of  their 
commissions,  did  not  always  loyally  co-operate  with  them 
in  military  operations,  to  the  serious  detriment  of  the 
service  and  interest  of  the  country. 

It  was  also  charged  that  Regular  Army  Officers  who 
had  been  promoted  to  commanding  generals  in  the  field,  or 
of  Departments,  did  not  always  desire  to  see  their  sub 
ordinate  Volunteer  commanders  eclipse  them  by  skillful 
and  vigorous  operations  that  attracted  the  attention  and 
applause  of  the  country. 

Major  General  Schofield,  commanding  the  Department 
of  the  Missouri,  had  been  promoted  from  the  Regular 
Army,  and  his  subordinate,  Major  General  Blunt  com 
manding  the  District  of  Kansas  and  the  Indian  Territory, 
had  been  promoted  for  distinguished  services,  and  it  was 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  335 

talked  by  very  many  of  the  people  of  Kansas  and  asserted 
in  newspaper  articles,  that  the  Department  commander  had 
relieved  his  District  commander  on  the  18th  of  October 
because  he  had  been  winning  too  many  laurels,  having  just 
completed  a  brilliant  campaign  in  which  he  had  defeated 
Generals  Steele  and  Cooper  in  the  battle  of  Honey  Springs 
or  Elk  Creek,  and  pursued  their  demoralized  forces  far  in 
the  direction  of  Red  River  after  destroying  their  supply 
depots  at  Northfork  and  Perryville,  and  then  turning  back 
and  capturing  and  occupying  Fort  Smith,  and  communicat 
ing  with  General  Steele  at  Little  Rock. 

The  newspapers  of  Kansas  and  General  Lane  and 
other  politicians  of  the  State  bitterly  denounced  General 
Schofield's  policy  of  dealing  with  the  guerrilla  bands  in 
Western  Missouri  after  the  Lawrence  Massacre,  and  en 
deavored  to  have  the  President  remove  him.  His  firm 
stand,  too,  and  issuing  orders  against  the  invasion  of  the 
Western  counties  of  Missouri  by  the  citizens  of  Kansas,  to 
look  for  their  property  taken  by  Quantrill,  was  also  de 
nounced  by  the  politicians,  but  approved  by  sober  minded 
people  everywhere  in  the  State. 

While  General  Blunt  was  a  friend  of  General  Lane, 
Senator  from  Kansas,  he  had  taken  no  part  in  the  wild 
talk  of  burning  everything  in  the  Western  counties  of 
Missouri,  and  it  was  generally  felt  that  he  had  not  been 
treated  fairly  by  the  Department  Commander  at  the  close 
of  his  brilliant  campaign  in  the  Indian  Territory  and 
Western  Arkansas. 

In  the  administration  of  a  Department,  General  Scho- 
field  probably  had  few  superiors.  He  had  been  connected 
with  military  operations  in  Missouri  from  the  first  year 
of  the  war;  he  had  been  unfortunate  in  not  being  present 
at  the  head  of  his  command  when  a  considerable  battle 
was  fought ;  he  was  in  command  of  a  fine  army  of  ten  to 
twelve  thousand  men  in  Southwest  Missouri  and  Northwest 
Arkansas  until  a  short  time  before  the  battle  of  Prairie 
Grove,  when  he  returned  to  Springfield,  and  there  were 
some  reports  that  he  was  sick,  and  some  that  he  wasn't. 


336  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

He  knew  that  General  Hindman  was  concentrating  his 
forces  for  an  advance  north  of  the  Boston  Mountains,  and 
officers  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier  claimed  that  he  should 
have  been  with  them  at  the  head  of  his  troops.  He  re 
joined  them  soon  after  the  battle  when  they  were  return 
ing  from  an  expedition  from  Van  Buren,  and  after  they 
destroyed  the  Confederate  supplies  and  transportation, 
steamboats  at  that  place,  but  could  not  properly  enjoy  any 
of  the  prestige  and  military  glory  won  by  Generals  Blunt 
and  Heron  in  these  operations  in  closing  the  campaign. 

It  was  by  the  indomitable  energy  and  good  judgment 
displayed  by  General  Blunt  in  these  successful  operations 
that  won  him  the  promotion  of  Major  General.  He  was 
always  right  up  to  the  front  when  there  was  any  fighting 
to  be  done,  and  his  soldiers  had  confidence  in  him  and  loved 
him  as  a  fighting  officer;  he  never  made  any  excuses  that 
required  urging  by  superiors. 

When  he  returned  to  Kansas  the  latter  part  of  Sep 
tember  to  remove  his  headquarter?  to  Fort  Smith,  the 
press  and  the  people  of  the  State  acclaimed  him  a  hero 
for  his  brilliant  achievement  of  ha  /ing  swept  the  Southern 
forces  to  the  southern  border  of  ;he  Indian  Territory  and 
from  Western  Arkansas  in  a  campaign  of  two  months;  nor 
was  his  praise  withheld  for  his  brilliant  and  successful 
Prairie  Grove  campaign,  with  which  his  present  achieve 
ments  were  compared  by  those  familiar  with  his  military 
operations. 

While  he  was  receiving  these  songs  of  praise  and 
adulation  from  the  press  and  people  of  his  State,  General 
Schofield  was  receiving  from  the  same  sources  the  bitter 
est  denunciation  for  his  "incompetency  and  imbecility." 
He  was  a  Regular  Army  officer  and  a  graduate  of  West 
Point.  He  had  for  three  years  as  a  general  officer  held 
important  commands  in  Missouri,  Arkansas  and  Indian 
Territory,  and  did  not  hive  a  single  military  achievement 
to  his  credit  that  would  test  his  fitness  to  command  in  the 
face  of  the  enemy. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  337 

Feeling  deeply  the  injustice  which  had  been  done  him, 
General  Blunt  did  not  fail  to  give  to  the  public  his  view 
of  the  causes  which  h*\d  led  to  his  removal  from  the  com 
mand  of  his  District,  and  in  a  short  time  afterward  Gen 
eral  Schofield  was  removed  from  the  command  of  the  De 
partment  of  Missouri. 

As  a  general  proposition,  everyone  knows  that  Regu 
lar  Army  officers,  graduates  from  West  Point,  are  better 
qualified  to  handle  troops  in  the  field  than  Volunteer  of 
ficers  who  have  had  very  little,  if  any,  intensive  training 
prior  to  their  service;  but  special  training  does  not  con 
stitute  all  that  makes  a  successful  officer  in  the  military 
service.  He  must  use  common  sense  and  judgment  and 
a  will  to  meet  danger  in  all  the  forms  incident  to  military 
service  in  time  of  war. 

After  General  Blunt  organized  his  forces  at  Fort  Gib 
son  and  crossed  to  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas  River 
and  by  his  swift  and  powerful  blows  struck  and  defeated 
the  combined  Confederate  Indian  and  White  forces  of 
Generals  Steele  and  Cooper  at  Elk  Creek  and  Perryville, 
and  pursued  them  in  utter  demoralization  almost  to  Red 
River,  capturing  and  destroying  their  depots  of  supplies, 
and  then  turning  back  and  driving  General  Cabell  from 
Western  Arkansas  and  capturing  and  occupying  Fort 
Smith,  it  left  the  chiefs  and  leaders  of  the  hostile  Indian 
warrior  tribes  in  amazement  and  deep  discouragement  at 
the  quick  turn  of  events. 

When  they  had  sufficiently  recovered  from  the  pro 
found  gloom  and  despondency  into  which  they  had  been 
thrown,  and  ventured  an  attempt  to  analyze  the  situation, 
they  decided  to  hold  a  conference  of  the  chiefs  and  leaders 
of  the  Southern  factions  of  the  warrior  tribes,  for  a  dis 
cussion  of  their  troubles  and  to  formulate  their  grievances 
for  the  purpose  of  laying  them  before  the  President  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  and  to  outline  a  policy  for  the 
future  as  far  as  practicable. 


338  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  (Jivil  War. 

At  all  great  crises  in  the  affairs  of  men  there  has  al 
ways  been  some  chief  mover,  some  leader,  who  was  looked 
to  by  men  of  lesser  influence,  for  suggestions,  advice,  and 
to  give  his  views  in  regard  to  the  proper  steps  to  be  taken 
for  the  common  welfare,  and  when  the  conference  was 
opened,  Colonel  Watie,  chief  of  the  Cherokee  faction,  was 
called  upon  to  address  the  members.  He  arose  and  said 
in  substance: 

"Chiefs  and  leaders  of  the  Warrior  Tribes :  It  is  with 
a  heavy  heart  that  I  rise  to  perform  the  solemn  duty  you 
have  imposed  upon  me.  Evil  times  have  fallen  upon  us 
and  our  people.  The  troops  of  the  enemy  have  been  oc 
cupying  the  country  of  my  people  for  a  year,  and  they 
are  now  occupying  the  greater  part  of  your  country,  and 
Fort  Smith  and  Western  Arkansas,  and  I  do  not  see  any 
present  prospect  of  arresting  their  progress  south  to  Red 
River.  You  know  they  have  come  like  a  whirlwind  and 
swept  our  forces  from  Elk  Creek,  Northfork  and  Perry- 
ville,  and  captured  and  destroyed  our  supply  depots  at 
those  places,  leaving  us  neither  arms,  ammunition,  food 
nor  clothing,  which  we  had  been  collecting  with  the  great 
est  difficulty.  Our  people  have  become  discouraged  and 
indifferent.  Many  of  our  warriors  have  returned  to  their 
homes  and  are  hiding  out,  or  gone  over  to  the  enemy. 
When  by  treaty  stipulations  we  pledged  our  allegiance  to 
the  South,  the  agents  and  officers  of  the  Confederate  Gov 
ernment  told  us  that  we  would  organize  our  men  for  the 
Confederate  service,  we  would  be  furnished  with  arms, 
ammunition,  clothing,  food  supplies  and  equipments,  and 
that  white  troops  would  co-operate  with  us  in  defending 
our  country  and  preventing  its  invasion  by  the  enemy ;  yet 
you  know  that  our  warriors  have  been  poorly  armed,  with 
few  exceptions,  and  furnished  with  worthless  ammunition, 
and  have  received  but  little  clothing,  being  part  of  the  time 
almost  naked,  without  hats,  shoes,  and  their  clothing  in 
rags.  We  have  had  to  depend  upon  the  country  most  of 
the  time  for  our  food  supplies,  and  the  promised  protec- 


Th*  Union  Indian  Briodi  in  tfi«  Citii  War.  339 


tion  from  invasion  of  our  country  by  our  enemies  has  not 
been  made  good;  nor  have  our  people  suffering  for  the 
common  comforts  of  life  been  regularly  paid  their  an- 
nunities,  as  under  the  Old  Government  with  which  we  gave 
up  our  treaty  obligations;  that  in  the  spring  a  force  of 
hostile  Indians  and  negroes  and  a  battalion  of  white 
troops  from  Kansas,  numbering  about  two  thousand,  took 
possession  of  Fort  Gibson  and  have  since  held  and  forti 
fied  the  place  without  any  effort  being  made  to  dislodge 
them,  when  it  was  known  we  had  three  times  as  many 
troops  as  they,  who  were  two  hundred  miles  from  their 
base  of  supplies." 

Continuing,  the  speaker  said:  "Chiefs  and  leaders  of 
the  warrior  tribes  :  You  know  we  have  lived  up  strictly  to 
our  treaty  stipulations.  We  have  performed  our  part;  we 
have  even  gone  out  of  our  country  to  defend  it  ;  the  people 
of  my  country  devoted  to  the  South  have  been  robbed  of 
nearly  everything  they  possessed.  They  are  scattered  over 
the  Choctaw  and  Creek  Nations  and  in  Texas,  and  are 
utterly  destitute.  Though  the  commanding  General,  Steele, 
has  been  strengthened  by  infantry  and  artillery,  the  same 
lethargy  and  procrastination  prevails,  and  our  prospects  are 
more  gloomy  than  ever.  The  movements  of  our  troops 
have  been  around  and  about,  but  never  against  a  much  in 
ferior  foe,  and  this  has  produced  universal  dissatisfaction 
and  despondency.  I  would  therefore  propose  that  we  lay 
the  whole  distressing  situation  as  I  have  depicted  it,  before 
General  Smith,  commanding  the  Trans-Mississippi  Depart 
ment,  and  the  President  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  at 
Richmond  to  determine  whether  we  are  to  be  abandoned 
or  must  continue  the  struggle  with  our  own  resources,  un 
aided  by  our  white  allies.  You  know  the  Confederate  Gov 
ernment  has  done  practically  nothing  to  relieve  the  destitu 
tion  among  our  people." 

The  suggestions  of  the  speaker  were  approved  by  the 
conference  and  the  main  points  reduced  to  writing  and 
submitted  to  the  President  of  the  Confederacy  the  latter 


340  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

part  of  December  for  his  consideration.  General  Steele  was 
relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Department  of  the 
Indian  Territory  at  his  own  request,  and  General  S. 
B.  Maxey  of  Texas  appointed  to  his  place.  But  the 
change  of  military  commanders  did  not  strengthen  the 
cause  of  the  Confederacy  in  the  Indian  country,  and  the 
end  of  the  year  found  the  Federal  forces  occupying  Fort 
Smith  and  the  territory  they  had  wrested  from  the  South 
ern  forces  early  in  the  autumn,  with  a  determination  to 
hold  it. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  341 

CHAPTER  XIX 
THE  CAMDEN  EXPEDITION 

At  the  end  of  the  year  the  Union  Armies  had  3wept 
the  Confederate  forces  from  nearly  all  the  territory  of 
Arkansas  and  the  Indian  country  south  of  the  Arkansas 
River  nearly  to  Red  River,  causing  great  demoralization 
and  desertions  of  Southern  soldiers  by  the  hundreds  in  the 
Trans-Mississippi  Department. 

There  was  a  feeling  among  many  of  the  leaders  of 
both  sides,  shared  largely  by  the  people  of  the  country, 
that  the  close  of  the  year  1864  would  disclose  unmistakable 
indications  how  the  war  must  end,  which  side  would  win 
in  the  dreadful  struggle. 

Taking  this  view  of  the  situation,  early  in  the  year 
the  leaders  of  each  side  commenced  making  preparations 
for  marshalling  their  resources  for  making  their  supreme 
efforts  and  for  delivering  their  most  powerful  blows  upon 
their  adversaries,  seeking  by  every  possible  means  to  dis 
cover  their  most  vulnerable  points  of  attack.  From  early 
in  the  war,  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory  had  been  so 
identified  in  military  operations  that  an  advance  of  either 
the  Union  or  Confederate  forces  in  the  one  was  followed 
by  an  advance  in  the  other,  and  a  retreat  or  retirement  in 
the  one  was  followed  by  a  retreat  or  retirement  in  the 
other.  Not  only  was  this  true,  but  in  1864  there  was  a 
close  connection  between  the  major  and  minor  operations 
of  the  Union  and  Confederate  forces  west  of  the  Missis 
sippi  River,  so  that  the  success  or  failure  in  the  military 
operations  of  either  belligerent  force  was  followed  by  the 
advance  or  retirement  of  that  belligerent  force  along  its 
whole  front. 

As  early  as  January,  General  E.  Kirby  Smith,  com 
manding  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department,  commenced  re 
organizing  his  forces  for  more  efficient  and  effective  serv 
ice.  He  replaced  as  has  been  stated  General  Steele,  com 
manding  the  District  of  the  Indian  Territory,  by  General 
S.  B.  Maxey  of  Texas  whom  he  was  led  to  believe  would 


342  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  fa*  CM  War. 

be  able  to  revive  the  morale  of  the  Southern  Indian  forcea, 
which  had  become  very  low  under  General  Steele,  for  an 
often  defeated  general,  whether  due  to  his  own  inefficiency 
or  want  of  proper  support,  is  certain  to  weaken  the  confi 
dence  of  his  men  in  him  as  a  commander.  They  do  not 
stop  to  consider  whether  he  has  used  the  resources  put  into 
his  hands  to  the  best  advantage  in  securing  success. 

General  Maxey  was  hardly  warm  in  the  seat  of  his  new 
position,  when  he  was  requested  by  General  Smith  to 
furnish  his  headquarters,  as  early  as  practicable,  informa 
tion  of  the  disposition  of  his  troops.  He  also  called  his 
attention  to  the  importance  of  keeping  constantly  and 
reliably  advised  of  the  movements,  strength,  and  as  far  as 
possible  of  the  plans  or  intentions  of  the  Federal  forces  in 
his  front,  and  to  spare  neither  trouble  nor  expense  to  at 
tain  his  object. 

There  was  a  Grand  Council  of  the  Southern  factions  of 
the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  of  the  Indian  country  at  Arm 
strong  Academy  near  Fort  Washita,  February  first,  for 
the  purpose  of  establishing  peace  and  friendship  between 
all  the  tribes  and  to  unite  them  all  and  get  them  to  pledge 
their  adherence  to  the  Confederate  cause,  and  after  that  to 
plan  a  raid  on  Southern  Kansas,  and  attack  Humboldt,  on 
the  Neosho  River,  from  the  southwest  to  cause  a  diversion 
in  favor  of  the  Confederate  forces  south  of  the  Arkansas 
River.  It  was  easier,  however,  to  plan  such  diversions 
than  to  execute  them  as  the  Confederate  leaders  found  out 
later. 

Nearly  all  the  chiefs  and  leaders  of  these  Indian  Tribes 
fipoke  at  the  council  and  gave  their  views  of  the  situation, 
and  generally  supported  the  propositions  which  were  in 
troduced  for  their  consideration  by  the  representative  of 
the  Confederate  Government.  General  Maxey,  ex-officio 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  and  Commander  of  the 
Southern  Indian  forces  in  the  District  of  the  Indian  Terri 
tory,  was  invited,  and  addressed  the  Council  as  follows : 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  343 

"Chiefs  and  Leaders  of  the  Indian  Nations:  I  have 
been  assigned  by  the  Confederate  Government  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  Confederate  forces  in  the  District  of  the 
Indian  Territory;  I  salute  you  as  your  friend  and  brother 
in  the  desperate  struggle  in  which  we  are  mutually  en 
gaged.  I  beg  to  assure  you  that  I  shall  do  everything  in 
my  power  for  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  your  people, 
and  to  protect  and  restore  them  to  their  homes.  But 
we  must  first  prepare  ourselves  for  the  work  before  us 
and  drive  out  the  invaders  who  have  driven  your  non- 
combatant  people  from  their  homes  and  taken  or  destroyed 
their  property.  Before  I  took  command  of  the  Confederate 
forces  in  this  district,  they  had  been  defeated  so  many 
times  and  retired  so  often  that  they  could  not  have  retired 
any  further  south  without  crossing  Red  River  into  Texas. 
Your  troops  did  not  have  the  confidence  in  their  com 
mander  essential  to  successful  operations.  We  must  not 
retire  another  step;  we  must  advance  and  make  the  enemy 
retire.  Let  us  advance,  and  let  'advance'  be  our  watch 
word  all  along  the  line;  we  can  do  it;  we  must  do  it. 
General  Smith,  commanding  the  Trans-Mississippi  Depart 
ment,  has  promised  to  support  me  with  troops  and  sup 
plies.  We  confidently  believe  that  his  forces  will  recapture 
Little  Rock,  and  we  must  drive  out  the  Federal  white  and 
negro  troops  from  Fort  Smith,  and  the  renegade  Indians 
and  white  troops  from  Fort  Gibson  and  recapture  and  oc 
cupy  those  places  and  hold  the  Arkansas  River  until  we 
shall  be  ready  to  advance  to  the  northern  part  of  the  In 
dian  country.  And  finally,  let  me  appeal  to  you  to  advise 
all  your  people,  except  your  warriors,  who  have  left  their 
homes,  to  return  and  raise  crops,  part  of  which  we  will 
need  for  our  forces,  and  for  which  we  will  pay  you  fair 
prices.  You  shall  soon  see  the  effect  of  my  active,  ag 
gressive  policy.  I  shall  lose  no  time  in  setting  my  forces 
in  operation;  I  propose  to  drive  in  the  enemy  outposts  at 
WTaldron  and  at  points  in  the  Choctaw  Nation.  I  want 
your  full  co-operation  in  carrying  out  all  movements  de- 


344  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

signed  in  my  plans  of  ridding  your  country  of  the  enemy 
who  have  insolently  trampled  upon  your  rights.  We  hope 
to  win  the  war  this  year;  we  hear  that  the  enemy  people 
at  home  are  tired  of  the  war  to  conquer  the  South  and  will 
not  support  war  measures  with  men  and  money  much 
longer."  *This  address  of  the  General  had  very  little  effect 
in  arousing  the  fighting  spirit  of  the  Indians;  they  had 
been  fed  on  promises  too  often. 

At  the  opening  of  the  new  year,  General  Grant  had 
not  yet  been  appointed  Lieutenant-General  and  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  all  the  Union  Armies;  but  there  had  been  cor 
respondence  between  him  and  General  Halleck,  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  at  Washington,  and  Generals  Sherman  and 
Banks,  in  regard  to  plans  of  operations  in  the  campaign 
to  be  opened  on  all  fronts  as  early  as  practicable.  In  ac 
cordance  with  the  plans  agreed  upon,  General  Banks,  com 
manding  the  Department  of  the  Gulf,  commenced  prepara 
tions  for  the  Red  River  Expedition  for  the  purpose  of 
capturing  and  occupying  Shreveport  and  using  it  as  a 
base  of  operations  against  Eastern  Texas. 

The  movement  was  suggested  and  approved  by  the 
War  Department  and  the  General-in-Chief,  and  General 
Banks  was  promised  the  co-operation  of  General  Steele, 
commanding  the  Department  of  Arkansas,  with  ten  to 
fifteen  thousand  troops,  and  General  Sherman,  command 
ing  the  Department  of  Tennessee,  promised  the  loan  of 
ten  thousand  men,  to  co-operate  in  the  expedition  up  to 
the  latter  part  of  March. 

In  the  plan  of  operations  there  were  to  be  three 
columns  converging  upon  Shreveport  within  the  enemy 
lines,  each  column  starting  from  such  distant  points  as 
New  Orleans,  Vicksburg,  Little  Rock  and  Fort  Smith.  Gen 
eral  Banks,  by  virtue  of  rank,  was  commander  of  the  ex 
pedition;  his  column,  17,000  strong,  under  General  Frank 
lin,  left  Franklin,  Louisiana,  and  was  to  be  at  Alexandria, 

*8ee  Vol.  XXXIV,  Part  II,  Rebellion  Record,  p.  960. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.         345 

on  the  17th  of  March.  General  Sherman's  quota  of  ten 
thousand  men,  under  General  A.  J.  Smith,  was  to' form  a 
junction  with  Banks  on  the  same  day,  and  General  Steele's 
columns  from  Little  Rock  and  Fort  Smith  were  to  join  the 
other  columns  at  Shreveport,  or  en  route,  with  the  navy 
under  Admiral  Porter,  co-operating. 

When  the  Federal  columns  were  in  motion  and  well 
advanced  in  the  direction  of  the  common  point  of  con 
centration,  General  E.  Kirby  Smith,  commanding  the 
Trans-Mississippi  Department,  was  able  to  concentrate  the 
Confederate  forces  and  attack  either  Federal  column  he 
considered  himself  strong  enough  to  defeat. 

He  met  the  main  columns  under  General  Banks  at 
Mansfield,  and  after  a  desperate  battle  under  Federal  dis 
advantages,  defeated  him  and  drove  back  his  army  to 
Alexandria,  with  heavy  losses  in  men,  guns  and  material, 
with  a  naiTow  escape  of  the  gunboats  of  the  Navy,  which 
were  caught  above  the  Falljs  or  Rapids  at  Alexandria,  with 
a  rapidly  falling  river. 

In  the  general  movement,  General  Steele's  columns 
from  Little  Rock  and  Fort  Smith  had  advanced  after  a 
series  of  battles  with  General  Price's  forces  to  Camden, 
when  news  of  the  disaster  to  Banks'  army  reached  him. 
He  knew  now  that  Smith  and  Price  would  immediately  con 
centrate  nearly  their  entire  forces  against  him,  and  that 
the  only  safety  for  his  army,  would  be  found  in  its  retire 
ment  to  Little  Rock,  where  it,  with  such  defensive  works 
as  had  been  constructed,  would  enable  him  to  hold  the  vic 
torious  Confederate  forces  at  bay.  In  his  retreat  to  Little 
Rock,  he  was  pursued  by  Generals  Smith  and  Price,  who 
brought  up  their  forces  rapidly  and  endeavored  to  cut  him 
off  from  Little  Rock,  and  overtook  his  rear  division  at 
Saline  River,  where  was  fought  the  battle  of  Jenkins' 
Ferry,  resulting  in  the  repulse  of  the  Confederates,  which 
enabled  General  Steele  to  continue  his  march  to  Little 
Itock  without  further  trouble,  but  with  the  loss  of  a  good 


346  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Givil  War. 

deal  of  transportation  in  crossing  the  Saline  River  bottom 
that  was  partly  flooded  and  a  quagmire  of  swamp. 

General  Steele's  operations  in  the  campaign  were 
known  as  the  Camden  Expedition,  and  his  army  as  the 
Seventh  Army  Corps;  the  Frontier  Division  of  that  Corps 
under  General  Thayer,  was  from  Fort  Smith,  and  consisted 
of  troops  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier,  with  which  General 
Blunt  had  made  the  brilliant  campaign  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1863,  in  sweeping  the  forces 
of  the  Southern  Indians  and  Texans  from  the  Arkansas  to 
the  Red  River  in  the  Indian  country. 

The  disaster  to  Banks'  army  rapidly  changed  the 
whole  plans  of  operations  from  an  offensive  to  a  defensive 
campaign  in  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  country,  for  General 
Smith  was  now  able  to  throw  almost  the  whole  of  the 
Confederate  forces  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department 
against  General  Steele's  forces  at  Little  Rock  and  Fort 
Smith,  and  incidentally  against  the  forces  of  General 
Curtis  holding  Fort  Gibson,  and  those  operating  south  of 
the  Arkansas  River.  It  was  at  once  evident  that  the  Con 
federate  generals  would  make  desperate  efforts  to  force 
the  Federal  arms  from  the  line  of  the  Arkansas  River. 

When  General  Thayer  with  the  Frontier  Division  of 
the  Seventh  Army  Corps  left  Fort  Smith  the  25th  of 
March,  under  orders  to  join  Steele's  column  from  Little 
Rock  en  route  to  Camden  and  Shreveport  to  join  Banks' 
Red  River  Expedition,  Colonel  W.  R.  Judson,  Sixth  Kansas 
Cavalry,  was  placed  in  command  of  the  District  of  the 
Frontier,  with  headquarters  at  Fort  Smith,  with  about 
three  thousand  men  of  all  arms,  for  the  defense  of  the 
place  and  for  outposts  south  and  on  the  Arkansas  River. 

The  troops  General  Thayer  took  with  him  consisted  of 
three  brigades,  two  of  infantry  and  one  of  cavalry;  the 
First  Brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel  John  Edwards,  con 
sisted  of  his  own  regiment,  the  Eighteenth  Iowa  Infantry* 
the  First  and  Second  Arkansas  Union  Infantry,  and  Cap- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  347 

tain  Starks'  First  Arkansas  Light  Artillery,  six  guns;  the 
Second  Brigade  commanded  by  Colonel  Charles  W.  Adams, 
consisted  of  his  own  regiment,  the  Twelfth  Kansas  In 
fantry,  and  the  First  and  Second  Kansas  Colored  In 
fantry,  commanded  respectively  by  Colonels  James  M.  Wil 
liams  and  Samuel  J.  Crawford,  and  Rabb's  Second  Indiana 
Battery,  six  guns;  and  the  Third  Brigade,  cavalry,  com 
manded  by  Leutenant-Colonel  Owen  A.  Bassett,  con 
sisted  partly  of  his  own  regiment,  the  Second  Kansas  and 
detachments  of  the  Sixth  and  Fourteenth  Regiments,  Kan 
sas  Cavalry,  and  two  twelve  pounder  mountain  howitzers 
attached  to  the  Sixth  Kansas,  in  all  about  five  thousand 
men,  nearly  all  of  whom  had  been  in  active  service  more 
than  a  year. 

On  the  23d  of  March  General  Steele  left  Little  Rock 
with  three  divisions,  two  of  infantry  and  one  of  cavalry. 
The  infantry  divisions  were  commanded  respectively  by 
Brigadier  Generals  Frederick  Salomon  and  S.  A.  Rice,  and 
the  cavalry  division  was  commanded  by  Brigadier-General 
E.  A.  Carr,  an  effective  strength  of  all  arms  of  about  nine 
thousand  men,  with  a  complement  of  field  artillery.  The 
immediate  objective  of  the  expedition  was  Camden,  but 
the  remote  objective  was  Shreveport,  in  co-operation  with 
General  Banks'  Army,  which  had  already  commenced  the 
movement  from  several  points.  The  gunboats  of  the  Navy 
under  Admiral  Porter  were  also  moving  up  Red  River  in 
co-operation. 

The  Confederate  forces  to  oppose  the  advance  of 
General  Steele  were  commanded  by  General  Price  and 
they  occupied  well  fortified  positions  at  Camden,  Ark- 
adelphia  and  Washington,  with  the  cavalry  and  some  light 
artillery  thrown  forward  in  the  direction  of  Little  Rock  and 
Fort  Smith  to  watch  the  Federal  movements  and  delay 
them  as  much  as  practicable ;  but  not  to  bring  on  a  general 
engagement  after  the  Federal  forces  had  united. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  rain  that  spring  over  the 
region  of  the  field  of  operations,  and  the  soldiers  and 


348  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

animals  of  both  of  the  Federal  columns,  from  Little  Rock 
and  Fort  Smith,  endured  many  hardships  as  they  advanced 
over  a  rough  mountainous  region  of  nearly  two  hundred 
miles.  The  Confederates  had  obstructed  the  advance  as 
much  as  practicable  by  felling  trees  in  difficult  places  for 
artillery  and  trains  to  pass,  and  the  torrential  rains  had 
washed  out  the  roads  in  the  narrow  valleys  and  made 
guagmires  of  the  bottom  lands  along  the  streams,  which 
required  much  work  of  repairs  by  the  sappers  and  miners, 
who  were  sometimes  assisted  by  details  from  the  infantry 
regiments. 

General  Thayer's  Division  met  with  very  little  opposi 
tion  on  the  march  until  it  joined  General  Steele's  forces 
on  the  Little  Missouri  River,  after  which  there  were  almost 
continual  skirmishes  and  actions;  but  the  Southern 
Partisan  bandits  in  the  mountains  and  in  the  country 
through  which  he  marched,  generally  in  small  parties, 
watched  his  movements  and  hung  on  his  flanks  and  now 
and  then  dashed  in  and  fired  on  his  advance  or  rear, 
doing  very  little  damage.  They  were  quickly  pursued  and 
sometimes  captured,  killed  or  wounded,  making  honors 
about  even. 

When  the  command  was  in  camp  these  bandits  were 
sometimes  bold  enough  to  come  up  within  gunshot  range 
and  fire  on  the  pickets  and  then  attempt  to  dodge  out  of 
sight;  but  the  Federal  infantry  were  armed  with  long 
range  rifles,  and  the  cavalry  with  long  range  Sharps' 
carbines,  and  the  foe,  after  displaying  his  bravado,  was 
lucky  if  he  got  away  without  being  hit.  Some  of  those 
who  were  not  captured,  killed  or  wounded  fell  in  the  rear 
of  the  Federal  command  for  the  purpose  of  picking  up  any 
stragglers,  dispatch  bearers  and  parties  carrying  the  mail 
to  and  from  the  troops  between  them  and  Fort  Smith. 
Only  a  week  or  so  after  General  Thayer's  command  left 
Fort  Smith,  one  or  two  packages  of  mail  containing  a  large 
number  of  letters  were  captured  by  the  guerrillas,  nearly 
a  hundred  miles  southeast  on  the  Petit  Jean  River,  but 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  349 

fortunately  no  dispatches  of  importance  to  the  enemy 
were  taken  by  the  bandits,  being  torn  up  to  prevent  them 
from  falling  into  their  hands.  The  party  carrying  the 
mail  managed  to  make  their  escape,  after  losing  the  mail 
pouches  with  the  letters.  A  short  time  after  the  capture 
of  the  mail,  three  scouts  were  sent  out  from  Fort  Smith 
with  dispatches  for  General  Thayer,  and  were  fired  upon 
several  times  by  Southern  Partisan  bands  while  they  were 
crossing  the  mountains  and  followed  by  a  party  of  about 
twenty-five  nearly  half  a  day.  While  crossing  a  creek 
they  were  fired  upon  again,  having  one  of  their  horses 
killed,  and  at  the  same  time  were  surrounded,  part  of  the 
enemy  having  managed  to  get  in  the  front. 

The  two  scouts  whose  horses  were  not  injured  by  the 
fusillade,  and  who  were  also  surrounded,  with  little  chance 
of  making  their  escape,  determined  to  share  the  fate  of 
their  comrade.  Immediately  after  they  were  taken 
prisoner,  the  enemy  commenced  searching  them  and  soon 
took  from  them  all  the  letters  and  papers  and  some  of  the 
dispatches,  but  none  that  would  give  any  information  in 
regard  to  the  movements  of  the  Federal  Army,  or  that 
would  be  of  much  value  to  them.  After  seeing  some  of 
the  newspapers,  the  bandits  seemed  very  anxious  to  read 
them  and  know  what  was  going  on,  and  laid  most  of  the 
letters  and  dispatches  aside,  until  the  papers  were  about 
looked  over. 

They  then  compelled  one  of  the  prisoners,  one  of  the 
scouts,  to  read  over  some  of  the  dispatches,  as  none  of 
their  party  could  read  writing,  and  told  the  reader  if  he 
did  not  read  correctly,  they  would  put  him  to  death  the 
next  morning.  It  was  now  getting  near  night,  for  they 
had  been  busily  engaged  quite  a  while  in  looking  over  the 
papers  and  some  of  the  dispatches  and  letters,  thinking 
it  likely  they  might  find  some  money  while  searching 
the  letters,  for  it  was  generally  known  that  a  good  many 
soldiers  sent  money  in  bills  to  their  families  through  the 


350  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War. 

mails;  having  the  privilege  of  franking  their  letters,  they 
were  not  obliged  to  use  postage  stamps.  Some  of  the 
bandits  could  read  plain  handwriting  to  some  extent,  but 
not  sufficiently  well  to  get  the  true  meaning  of  the  dif 
ferent  communications.  They  told  the  Federal  scouts  that 
they  were  going  to  a  house  the  next  morning  where  there 
was  a  woman  who  could  read  all  the  letters  and  dispatches 
without  any  difficulty,  and  if  the  reader  made  any  mis 
takes  or  kept  back  anything,  the  party  would  surely  suffer 
the  penalty  of  death.  Some  of  the  important  dispatches 
the  Federal  scouts  managed  to  get  into  an  envelope  the 
enemy  had  first  opened  and  thrown  aside,  and  which  was 
soon  put  into  the  fire  and  burned,  and  those  they  were 
compelled  to  read  were  not  read  correctly,  and  some  of 
the  most  important  sentences  were  omitted  entirely. 

The  Federal  scouts  expected  to  be  killed  anyway 
if  they  remained  with  their  captors  until  the  next  day, 
and  trusted  to  their  good  fortune  to  make  their  escape 
during  the  night.  They  were  all  encamped  in  the  moun 
tain  near  Reveille  Creek  that  empties  into  the  Petit  Jean 
River;  they  built  up  a  blazing  fire  and  all  but  two  or 
three  men  left  to  guard  the  prisoners  were  soon  stretched 
upon  their  blankets  on  the  ground  asleep,  and  the  prison 
ers,  also  pretending  to  be  asleep,  were  not,  but  were  only 
watching  when  the  guards  would  fall  asleep,  that  they 
might  get  up  and  attempt  their  escape.  As  they  were  not 
relieved  the  guards  fell  asleep  about  midnight,  when  the 
Federal  scouts  cautiously  crept  from  their  beds  into  the 
darkness,  taking  with  them  only  a  part  of  their  clothing 
and  one  or  two  revolvers,  and  were  soon  wandering  in 
the  mountains  several  miles  away  from  their  captors  on 
their  way  to  Little  Rock,  as  that  was  the  nearest  point 
they  could  reach  with  safety.  It  was  more  than  a  week, 
however,  before  they  reached  that  place,  being  obliged  to 
avoid  nearly  all  the  main  roads  and  travel  through  the 
mountains  and  brush.  When  taken  by  the  enemy  they 
were  probably  not  more  than  forty  miles  from  General 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.          351 

Thayer's  command;  but  the  difficulty  of  getting  accurate 
information  of  its  position  made  their  progress  slow  in 
joining  their  comrades.  They  found,  however,  that  Gen 
eral  Thayer  was  within  one  or  two  days'  march  of  General 
Steele,  whose  forces  had  reached  the  Washita  River,  and 
had  been  for  several  days  skirmishing  with  the  enemy, 
who  were  using  every  possible  effort  to  check  the  Federal 
advance. 

After  General  Thayer's  command  struck  the  trail  of 
Steele's  forces,  signs  of  artillery  fighting  were  visible  at 
different  places  on  the  road,  particularly  where  there  was 
timber  in  which  the  enemy  could  form  his  lines  and  place 
artillery  in  position ;  but  there  had  been  no  severe  struggle 
at  any  of  these  points.  Nearly  all  the  artillery  firing 
was  at  long  range,  so  that  only  a  few  men  were  "killed  and 
wounded  on  either  side.  The  movements  and  maneuvering 
of  the  enemy  showed  plainly  that  it  was  not  the  intention 
of  General  Price  to  bring  on  a  general  engagement  until 
his  troops  had  retired  behind  their  fortifications  at  Cam- 
den.  He  had  a  large  cavalry  and  mounted  infantry  force 
with  which  he  could  slow  up  the  Federal  advance  until 
General  E.  Kirby  Smith,  commanding  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Department,  could  determine  whether  General  Banks'  ex 
pedition  up  Red  River  for  the  occupation  of  Shreveport 
would  end  in  success  or  failure.  As  the  Confederates 
were  on  the  defensive,  in  retiring  they  watched  every 
opportunity  to  attack  the  Federal  reconnaissance  at  a 
disadvantage;  but  were  unable  to  gain  anything  decisive 
in  this  respect,  losing  as  often  as  they  won  a  point. 

They  probably  had  better  cavalry  horses  than  were  in 
the  Federal  cavalry  in  that  section,  and  perhaps  a  larger 
mounted  force,  including  their  mounted  infantry,  than 
General  Steele  had,  which  were  very  convenient  for  the 
defensive  operations  they  were  forced  to  adopt.  But  the 
Federal  troops  had  better  arms  and  equipments,  and  were 
not  lacking  in  elan  or  dash  and  enthusiasm;  besides  they 
had  been  uniformly  successful  in  all  the  major  operations 


352  fA*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

the  last  year  in  the  West.  Some  of  the  Federal  soldiers 
who  had  been  captured  and  escaped  reported  that  they 
had  never  seen  better  looking  horses  than  those  they  saw 
in  Marmaduke's  and  Shelby's  commands;  that  they  were 
large  and  in  splendid  condition  for  active  cavalry  service, 
having  been  well  taken  care  of  during  the  winter  on  Red 
River  and  about  Washington  and  Camden.  They  had  been 
required  to  perform  but  little  active  service  until  the 
commencement  of  that  campaign,  and  as  good  crops  had 
been  raised  in  that  section  the  year  before,  there  was 
little  difficulty  in  having  the  mounts  supplied  with  abun 
dance  of  forage. 

When  General  Steele's  command  reached  the  vicinity 
of  Camden,  his  chief  quartermaster  had  little  difficulty 
in  obtaining  a  sufficient  quantity  of  forage  for  the  dif 
ferent  cavalry  brigades.  Many  of  the  owners  of  large  and 
small  plantations  who  had  been  raising  mainly  cotton  had 
dropped  their  cotton  crops  and  commenced  raising  corn 
and  other  foodstuffs  which  were  required  to  subsist  the 
Southern  Army  and  the  civilian  population  of  the  South. 

Skirmishing  continued  almost  daily  from  Arkadelphia 
until  the  Federal  forces  reached  the  Little  Missouri  River, 
and  there  they  engaged  the  enemy  in  about  six  hours' 
artillery  fighting,  and  some  small  arms  skirmishing;  but 
with  no  decisive  results  except  the  retirement  of  the  Con 
federate  forces  in  the  direction  of  Camden.  The  Federal 
loss  was  about  twenty  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  Con 
federate  loss  about  the  same.  The  action  of  Little  Mis 
souri  River  was  more  noise  than  fight.  Although  the 
roar  of  artillery  was  heavy  and  constant  for  hours,  and 
might  have  led  one  at  a  distance  to  believe  that  a  hot  bat 
tle  was  raging;  yet  those  on  the  field  knew  that  the 
combatants  were  too  great  a  distance  from  each  other  to 
do  much  damage. 

The  ground  upon  which  the  opposing  forces  had  their 
artillery  practice  had  many  marks  of  a  real  battle  field. 


The  Uniw  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  333 

The  timber  of  the  positions  they  occupied  waa  torn  and 
splintered  by  the  shot  and  exploding  shells  of  the  artillery 
as  if  the  trees  had  been  struck  by  lightning.  It  was  the 
policy  of  the  Confederate  commanders  to  harass,  annoy 
and  make  as  much  of  a  show  of  resistance  as  practicable 
without  bringing  on  a  general  engagement,  to  prevent  the 
Federal  forces  from  crossing  the  river. 

The  obstructions  they  had  laboriously  planned  to  make 
the  roads  impassable  by  felling  trees  across  them  were 
quickly  swept  away,  and  the  heavy  force  of  infantry  and 
artillery  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  were  driven 
away  by  the  concentrated  fire  of  the  Federal  batteries, 
after  which  General  Steele  ordered  forward  his  pontoons, 
and  as  soon  as  they  were  thrown  across  the  river,  his 
troops  commenced  crossing.  The  Confederate  officers 
retired  their  batteries  to  high  ground,  and  care  was  taken 
that  the  pontoons  should  be  laid  at  a  point  where  the 
enemy  would  be  unable  to  locate  them,  in  order  to  protect 
the  troops  while  passing  over  them  from  artillery  fire. 
Several  Federal  batteries  were  brought  down  near  the 
river  and  placed  in  position  to  open  fire  upon  the  enemy 
batteries  the  moment  they  should  undertake  to  search 
out  the  location  of  the  pontoons,  or  to  support  the  Con 
federate  infantry  massed  some  distance  back  for  the  pur 
pose  of  attacking  the  Federal  troops  as  soon  as  they 
had  crossed  over  the  river  on  the  pontoons.  A  brigade 
of  Federal  infantry  were  quickly  crossed  over  and  advanced 
a  few  hundred  yards  beyond  the  river  when  they  were  met 
by  the  massed  enemy  infantry  and  driven  back  almost 
to  the  pontoons;  but  the  Federal  batteries  in  position  at 
once  opened  such  a  heavy  fire  of  shell  and  shrapnel  upon 
the  Confederates  that  they  were  obliged  to  retire  out  of 
range.  In  a  short  time  after  this  action,  a  sufficient  num 
ber  of  Federal  troops  were  crossed  over  to  hold  the  posi 
tion  until  the  entire  command  and  baggage  trains  could 
get  over. 


354  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War* 

When  the  Confederate  commanders  found  that  they 
could  not  hold  the  Federal  forces  at  the  river,  they  re 
treated  about  five  miles  back  to  Prairie  De'Ann,  where 
they  had  thrown  up  rifle  pits  and  breastworks  of  con 
siderable  strength  where  they  intended  to  give  battle. 
While  these  movements  were  taking  place  General  Thayer's 
Frontier  Division  of  the  Seventh  Army  Corps  had  over 
taken  General  Steele  at  the  Little  Missouri  River  and 
crossed  over  on  the  following  day  and  night  and  encamped 
with  him  on  the  8th  of  April. 

After  remaining  at  Prairie  De'Ann  three  or  four  days, 
General  Steele  had  his  whole  command,  comprising  nearly 
all  of  the  Seventh  Army  Corps,  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle 
as  a  challenge  to  the  enemy;  but  General  Price  declined 
to  accept  battle,  and  retreated  towards  Washington,  leaving 
the  road  open  to  Camden,  as  he  believed  the  Federal 
forces  would  pursue  him,  which  they  did  for  some  dis 
tance.  In  these  movements  General  Steele  executed  a  bril 
liant  piece  of  strategy  that  perhaps  had  few  equals  in 
the  war.  His  immediate  objective  was  Camden,  and  he 
desired  to  take  the  place  with  as  little  loss  of  life  as  pos 
sible.  His  movements  had  caused  Price  to  withdraw 
nearly  all  of  the  Confederate  troops  from  Camden  to 
strengthen  his  immediate  front  in  opposing  the  Federal 
advance.  The  position  at  Prairie  De'Ann  was  the  northern 
point  of  a  triangle,  with  Camden  at  the  southeast  and 
Washington  at  the  southwest  points  of  it. 

After  his  demonstration  in  front  of  Prairie  De'Ann 
with  fully  twelve  thousand  men,  splendidly  equipped,  and 
forcing  General  Price  out  of  his  strong  fortifications  and 
pursuing  him  in  the  direction  of  Washington,  with  a 
strong  force,  General  Steele  turned  suddenly  and  took 
the  left  hand  road  to  Camden,  pushing  his  cavalry  for 
ward  rapidly,  closely  followed  by  his  infantry  and  artil 
lery,  and  was  well  on  the  way  before  his  movement  was 
reported  to  General  Price.  The  Frontier  Division,  under 
General  Thayer,  was  left  to  bring  up  the  Federal  rear; 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  355 

but  the  road  from  Washington  to  Camden  wag  south  of 
the  one  General  Steele's  army  was  marching  on,  and  when 
General  Price  found  that  the  Federal  commander  was 
marching  straight  for  Camden,  quickly  set  his  large 
mounted  force  in  motion,  and  it  became  a  race  as  to  which 
should  reach  the  coveted  city  and  stronghold  first. 

When  General  Price  found  that  he  was  not  being 
pursued  by  the  main  part  of  the  Federal  forces  concen 
trated  at  Prairie  De'Ainn,  he  suspected  that  General  Steele 
was  intending  to  make  a  dash  for  Camden,  and  to  meet 
such  a  movement,  threw  forward  the  brigades  of  Shelby 
and  Greene  of  General  Marmaduke's  Division  on  the 
Middle  Camden  and  Washington  road,  and  they  reached 
the  junction  of  that  road  with  the  one  General  Steele's 
forces  were  marching  on  a  short  time  before  the  Federal 
forces  sent  forward,  under  General  Carr,  arrived,  thus 
blocking  the  road  to  Camden. 

General  Carr  at  once  made  a  vigorous  attack  with 
cavalry,  infantry  and  artillery  upon  the  Confederates 
under  General  Marmaduke,  and  drove  them  from  their 
position  in  the  direction  of  Camden  and  closely  pursued 
them  until  they  arrived  within  two  or  three  miles  of  the 
city,  when  Marmaduke  turned  to  the  right,  leaving  one 
mounted  regiment  to  skirmish  with  the  Federal  forces 
into  the  city,  which  Generals  Carr  and  Rice  occupied  that 
evening  before  dark  without  further  opposition.  By  mid 
night  the  rest  of  the  troops  General  Steele  brought  from 
Little  Rock  marched  in,  and  the  next  day  the  Frontier 
Division,  under  General  Thayer,  arrived. 

The  rapid  movements  of  General  Steele's  forces  almost 
paralyzed  with  fear,  the  Southern  people  of  Camden  and 
vicinity.  Many  of  them  were  so  dazed  by  the  sudden  turn 
of  events  that  they  packed  up  and  moved  further  south. 
They  even  burned  the  jail  where  some  Union  prisoners 
were  confined,  for  fear  that  when  the  Federal  forces  ar 
rived  it  would  be  used  to  imprison  some  of  their  own 
people  who  had  been  loudest  in  their  denunciation  of  the 


356  The  Unim  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  Ww. 

"Yankees."  The  great  number  of  Federal  soldiers  and 
their  discipline  and  cleanliness  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  minds  of  the  people  of  that  section,  for  the 
Federal  forces  had  not  before  that  campaign  penetrated 
far  south  in  that  part  of  Arkansas. 

It  will  be  well  to  notice  in  somewhat  more  detail  the 
operations  of  the  Federal  forces  around  Prairie  De'Ann, 
before  striking  out  for  Camden,  for  General  Steele  found 
it  necessary  to  do  some  fighting  and  maneuvering  before 
he  could  get  the  Confederate  forces  in  position  where  he 
could  safely  make  the  race  for  Camden,  with  the  prospect 
of  reaching  and  occupying  the  city  before  the  Confederates 
could  get  there.  While  his  forces  were  encamped  on  the 
prairie  in  sight  of  the  Confederate  entrenchments  at 
Prairie  De'Ann  for  several  days,  there  was  almost  con 
tinual  skirmishing  and  fighting  between  the  belligerent 
forces,  the  heavy  batteries  of  both  sides  being  frequently 
brought  into  action.  On  the  night  of  the  10th  of  April 
the  Confederates  made  three  different  charges  on  one  of 
the  batteries  of  Colonel  Engellmann's  brigade,  with  a  de 
termination  to  capture  it,  and  once  came  within  thirty 
yards  of  it,  when  they  were  repulsed  and  driven  back  to 
their  entrenchments,  with  a  heavy  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded.  When  they  made  these  charges  the  volleys  of 
musketry  were  rapid  and  heavy,  but  being  dark  and  the 
smoke  from  the  discharges  from  the  rifles  becoming  very 
dense,  neither  side  could  see  his  foe  and  know  of  the  exe 
cution  made  except  from  the  flashes  from  their  muskets. 
The  failure  of  the  Confederate  night  attack  on  the  Federal 
forces  convinced  General  Price  that  he  could  not  hold  his 
position  at  Prairie  De'Ann  longer,  and  that  there  wa$ 
nothing  left  for  him  but  to  retreat.  General  Steele  had 
determined  and  made  preparations  to  move  on  the  Con 
federate  position  the  next  morning  and  take  it  by  assault 
if  necessary;  but  he  had  not  more  than  made  the  proper 
distribution  of  his  troops  and  commenced  to  advance  when 
General  Price  abandoned  his  strongly  fortified  position 


Th$  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  357 

without  further  opposition.  His  fortifications  and  rifle 
pits  extended  more  than  a  mile  in  length  and  could  have 
been  used  very  effectively  against  an  assaulting  force. 

When  marching  over  the  ground  where  the  fight 
took  place  the  night  before,  the  Federal  soldiers  noticed  a 
number  of  horses  that  had  been  killed,  and  concluded  that 
they  were  artillery  horses,  and  did  not  doubt  but  that 
the  casualties  among  the  Confederate  troops  must  have 
been  quite  severe.  The  Federal  losses  during  the  night 
attack  and  in  the  skirmishing  and  artillery  fighting  of  the 
two  days  previous  were  forty  killed  and  sixty  wounded. 
After  these  operations  on  Prairie  De'Ann  and  the  retire 
ment  of  the  Confederate  forces  in  the  direction  of  Wash 
ington,  General  Steele  moved  forward  on  the  Camden 
road  with  the  divisions  of  Generals  Carr,  Rice  and  Salo 
mon,  leaving  the  Frontier  Division  under  General  Thayer 
to  bring  up  the  rear,  with  instructions  for  the  divisions 
to  keep  in  touch  with  each  other  and  ready  to  meet  an 
attack  by  the  enemy  at  any  moment. 

When  General  Price  found  that  the  Federal  forces 
were  pursuing  him  only  a  short  distance  beyond  Prairie 
De'Ann,  and  had  turned  and  were  marching  rapidly  in 
the  direction  of  Camden,  he  concentrated  all  his  troops 
which  had  not  been  sent  forward  under  Marmaduke  to 
interpose  the  Federal  march  on  Camden,  to  attack  the 
Federal  rear  under  Thayer. 

While  General  Steele  had  been  keeping  out  cavalry 
reconnoissances  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy, 
the  attack  on  the  Frontier  Division  was  a  surprise.  Gen 
eral  Thayer  had  encamped  in  the  edge  of  the  timber  near 
the  little  village  of  Moscow,  and  had  no  notice  whatever 
of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  until  they  had  driven  in  his 
pickets;  his  command  was  just  getting  ready  to  move 
out  when  the  firing  commenced ;  some  of  the  Federal  out 
posts  hastened  into  camp  and  reported  to  the  General  that 
the  prairie  was  covered  with  Confederate  mounted  troops 
advancing  in  compact  lines  to  make  the  attack. 


358  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

As  the  troops  and  trains  were  ready  to  move,  Gen 
eral  Thayer  quickly  made  disposition  of  his  forces  to 
meet  the  attack.  A  heavy  line  of  mounted  skirmishers 
was  thrown  out,  supported  by  infantry,  and  the  batteries 
placed  in  position  and  soon  commenced  throwing  shell  and 
shrapnel  into  the  ranks  of  the  Confederates  with  good 
effect.  Part  of  the  infantry  was  also  brought  into  action, 
and  the  rattle  of  musketry  was  mingled  with  the  roar  of 
the  artillery,  which  were  heard  for  miles  around  by  the 
frightened  people.  The  attacking  Confederate  forces  were 
commanded  by  Generals  Fagan  and  Maxey,  comprised  of 
white  and  Indian  soldiers,  and  after  several  hours'  fight 
ing  they  were  driven  from  the  field  and  pursued  a  short 
distance.  General  Thayer  did  not  continue  the  pursuit 
further  because  he  knew  it  was  the  purpose  of  General 
Steele  to  push  on  and  occupy  Camden  before  it  could  be 
re-enforced  by  the  Confederates,  which  General  Price  was 
making  desperate  efforts  to  accomplish.  General  Steele 
had  marched  several  days  on  the  Arkadelphia  and  Wash 
ington  road  to  Prairie  De'Ann  to  convince  the  Confederate 
commander  that  his  immediate  objective  was  Washington, 
and  many  Confederates  were  surprised  that  he  took  tne 
road  he  did  take  to  Camden,  as  it  was  the  least  practic 
able  for  trains  and  artillery  of  any  road  in  that  section. 
He  was  obliged  to  corduroy  miles  of  the  road  across  the 
swamps  and  bottom  lands  of  the  streams  with  rails  and 
timber  to  enable  his  artillery  and  trains  to  cross  over. 
But  with  all  these  difficulties  he  succeeded  in  maneuver 
ing  General  Price  out  of  Camden,  at  that  time  one  of  the 
most  important  towns  in  the  State,  and  fortified  with  nine 
forts. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  359 

CHAPTER  XX 

BATTLE  OF  POISON  SPRING 

The  Union  and  Confederate  commanders  in  Western 
Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory,  were  able  to  do  but 
little  more  than  mark  time  during  the  progress  of  the  Red 
River  and  Camden  Expeditions,  for  the  Department  com 
manders  of  both  sides  gradually  withdrew  all  the  troops 
that  could  be  spared  from  the  western  parts  of  their  de 
partments,  for  participation  in  the  larger  operations  in 
volved  in  those  expeditions.  When  therefore  the  campaign 
ended,  for  which  the  forces  of  both  sides  were  concen 
trated,  the  troops  that  had  been  detached  from  Western 
Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory  returned  to  their  former 
positions,  with  the  Confederate  commanders  assuming  the 
offensive,  and  the  Federal  commanders  the  defensive. 

General  Maxey,  commanding  the  District  of  the  Indian 
Territory,  took  with  him  to  the  aid  of  General  Price 
Colonel  Tandy  Walker's  Choctaw  Indian  Brigade  and  a 
brigade  of  three  Texas  regiments,  all  the  white  troops  of 
his  district,  and  in  the  battle  of  Poison  Spring  played  a 
conspicuous  part  in  achieving  the  success  that  fell  to  the 
Confederates  in  the  capture  of  the  Federal  forage  train, 
and  almost  annihilation  of  the  escort. 

General  Steele  had  handled  his  army  with  consummate 
skill  from  the  time  of  leaving  Little  Rock  until  his  return. 
He  had,  after  a  number  of  fierce  engagements  in  dem 
onstrating  against  Washington,  which  was  almost  on  the 
direct  route  to  Shreveport,  the  objective  of  the  cam 
paign,  and  by  a  brilliant  piece  of  strategy,  maneuvered 
Price  out  of  Camden,  which  had  been  strongly  fortified, 
without  a  battle.  In  the  event  of  unlocked  for  obstacles 
on  his  march  to  form  a  junction  with  Banks  at  Shreve 
port,  he  desired  to  occupy  Camden  and  use  it  as  a  base  for 
bringing  supplies  up  the  Ouachita  River  which  was  in 
good  navigable  condition  that  spring,  with  twenty-four 
feet  of  water  in  the  channel  at  Camden. 


360  Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

On  arrival  of  hte  army  at  that  place,  information  had 
just  been  received  there  by  telegraphic  dispatches  that 
General  Banks  had  been  defeated  above  Natchitoches  and 
obliged  to  fall  back  in  the  direction  of  Grand  Ecore  and 
Alexandria.  This  information  by  telegraph,  which  had 
come  through  Southern  sources,  was  soon  confirmed  by 
the  return  and  report  of  one  of  General  Steele's  spies,  who 
had  been  sent  to  communicate  with  General  Banks.  A 
day  or  so  later  an  officer  on  the  staff  of  General  Banks 
arrived  with  dispatches  confirming  the  reports  of  his 
defeat,  and  stated  that  he  was  falling  back  to  Alexandria. 

When  it  was  definitely  known  that  General  Banks 
had  been  defeated  and  was  retiring  on  Alexandria,  General 
Steele  saw  it  was  useless  for  him  to  advance  any  further 
in  the  direction  of  Red  River.  His  column  wa#  a  co 
operating  one,  and  the  point  upon  which  the  several 
columns  were  converging,  was  now  a  point  from  which  the 
other  columns  were  retreating.  A  crisis  was  now  rapidly 
approaching  when  he  must  either  get  supplies  up  the 
Ouachita  River,  or  retire  with  his  army  to  Little  Rock  or 
Pine  Bluff  on  the  Arkansas  River.  Already  there  were 
rumors  that  General  E.  Kirby  Smith  had  promised  to  send 
Price  eight  thousand  infantry  and  the  complement  of 
artillery  from  the  forces  that  had  been  operating  against 
Banks  in  Louisiana. 

In  his  fighting  march  from  Little  Rock  to  Camden, 
General  Steele  found  that  the  country  had  been  nearly 
exhausted  of  supplies  by  the  Confederate  troops  during  the 
past  winter  and  spring,  and  that  they  had  destroyed  all 
the  forage  on  the  Federal  line  of  march,  as  far  as  practic 
able,  which  they  could  not  use  or  take  away.  His  troops 
had  been  on  half  rations  of  bread  since  he  started  out 
upon  the  expedition,  and  less  than  that  proportion  of  the 
meat  ration  had  been  issued  to  them. 

His  cavalry,  artillery  and  transportation  animals,  num 
bering  as  many  as  ten  thousand  head,  required  a  large 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  *A«  Civil  War.  361 

amount  of  forage,  and  on  account  of  the  short  ration  and 
hard  service  imposed  upon  them,  many  of  them  were  daily 
becoming  unserviceable.  Indeed,  the  bread  ration  was 
so  nearly  exhausted  that  a  part  of  the  corn  ration  for  the 
animals  was  turned  over  to  the  commissary  department  to 
be  ground  into  meal  for  the  troops. 

As  the  Confederates  were  driven  back  they  destroyed 
nearly  all  the  best  mills  in  that  section,  to  prevent  the 
Federal  army  from  using  them,  so  that  most  of  the  meal 
made  had  to  be  ground  by  the  soldiers  by  hand-mills.  The 
large  steamer  Homer,  with  a  cargo  of  four  thousand 
bushels  of  corn,  was  captured  by  General  Steele's  cavalry 
under  Colonel  Ritter,  on  the  Ouachita  thirty  miles  below 
Camden,  on  the  night  of  the  16th,  and  brought  back  up 
the  river  to  the  city  and  unloaded,  and  the  corn  issued  to 
the  army,  relieving  the  immediate  situation. 

There  were  a  few  Union  people  in  Camden,  and  they 
reported  to  Captain  C.  A.  Henry,  chief  quartermaster  of 
the  expedition,  how  much  corn  they  could  spare,  and  he 
purchased  it  and  paid  them  for  it.  He  also  ascertained  that 
there  were  considerable  quantities  of  corn  at  a  number  of 
plantations  in  the  vicinity  of  Camden,  and  made  arrange 
ments  to  secure  it.  In  that  section  very  few  of  the  slaves 
had  left  their  masters  on  the  arrival  of  the  Federal  troops, 
and  the  last  year  the  planters  and  small  farmers  had  raised 
an  increased  acreage  of  corn,  and  a  decreased  acreage  of 
cotton  and  tobacco,  for  the  demand  for  corn  to  supply 
subsistence  and  forage  for  the  Southern  army  and  for 
home  consumption  had  increased,  while  the  market  for 
cotton  and  tobacco  had  become  uncertain,  uncertain  be 
cause  the  United  States  blockade  of  the  Southern  coast 
cities  had  become  so  effective  that  blockade  runners  had 
almost  been  put  out  of  business  in  their  attempts  to 
bring  in  supplies  for  the  Confederate  armies  and  take  out 
cotton  and  tobacco  in  payment  for  the 


362  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

The  Confederate  officers  had  made  it  a  point  to  use 
up  and  destroy  the  forage  in  the  disputed  territory  oc 
cupied  by  the  outpost  of  the  two  armies  between  Ark- 
adelphia  and  Little  Rock,  up  to  the  time  General  Steele's 
expedition  started  out,  and  had  drawn  as  sparingly  as  pos 
sible  on  the  supplies  of  the  citizens  in  the  vicinity  of 
Camden.  When  the  people  found  that  the  Confederates 
were  burning  the  forage  likely  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Federal  troops,  a  good  many  endeavored  to  hide  their  corn 
for  their  own  use,  or  take  their  chances  of  selling  to  the 
Federal  forces  when  they  heard  they  were  paying  for  it. 
In  the  advance  on  Camden,  Captain  Henry  ascertained 
that  there  was  a  large  amount  of  corn,  estimated  at  from 
four  to  five  thousand  bushels,  at  several  plantations  near 
the  road  on  which  the  Federal  troops  had  passed,  out 
about  eighteen  miles  and  on  the  morning  of  the  17th  made 
up  a  train  of  198  wagons  and  teams,  and  asked  for  an 
escort  for  it  of  a  regiment  of  each,  cavalry  and  infantry, 
and  a  section  of  artillery,  to  send  and  get  this  forage. 
General  Thayer  was  instructed  to  detail  troops  from  his 
division  for  the  escort.  He  directed  Colonel  James  M. 
Williams,  First  Kansas  Colored  Infantry,  to  take  command 
of  the  escort,  which  consisted  of  his  own  regiment,  under 
Major  Richard  C.  Ward,  195  cavalry  of  the  Second,  Sixth, 
and  Fourteenth  Kansas  Regiments,  and  two  ten  pounder 
brass  pieces  Second  Indiana  Battery,  under  Lieutenant 
W.  W.  Haines,  in  all  695  men. 

Although  the  road,  the  Washington  road,  near  which 
the  forage  would  be  found,  was  the  one  over  which  the 
Federal  army  had  just  passed,  it  was  by  no  means  the  rear 
of  the  army — was  in  fact  as  much  the  front  as  the  rear. 
It  was  contrary  to  the  general  policy  of  military  com 
manders  to  forage  to  the  front. 

But  in  the  face  of  this  sound  military  maxim,  the  train 
and  escort  were  sent  out,  and  upwards  of  one  hundred 
wagons  loaded  with  corn  that  evening  and  the  early  part 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  363 

of  the  night,  and  brought  to  the  main  road  and  parked. 
The  next  morning  details  were  sent  out  with  teams,  and 
the  empty  wagons  were  to  be  loaded  with  forage  from 
plantations  on  either  flank,  with  instructions  to  join  the 
loaded  part  of  the  train  en  route  to  Camden.  The  balance 
of  the  troops  of  the  escort  and  the  loaded  part  of  the 
train  were  at  once  put  in  motion  on  the  road  to  Camden, 
and  about  four  miles  east  of  the  point  where  they  had 
encamped  during  the  night,  near  Poison  Spring,  met  a 
re-enforcement,  under  Captain  William  M.  Duncan  of  383 
men  of  the  Eighteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  90  cavalry  of  the 
Second,  Sixth  and  Fourteenth  Kansas  Regiments,  and  two 
twelve  pounder  mountain  howitzers  attached  to  the  Sixth 
Kansas,  under  Lieutenant  Anson  J.  Walker  of  that 
regiment.  This  re-enforcement  halted  until  the  train 
passed  and  then  became  the  rear  guard.  About  a  mile 
east  of  this  point  the  advance  guard  came  up  to  and 
fired  upon  the  Confederate  picket  in  the  road  and  pursued 
it  nearly  a  mile,  when  it  joined  the  Confederate  line  of 
skirmishers  which  occupied  a  good  position  in  the  pine 
woods  on  each  side  of  the  Camden  road,  prepared  to  con 
test  the  further  advance  of  the  train  and  escort  on  their 
return. 

When  the  train  and  escort  left  Camden,  General 
Price's  headquarters  were  at  Woodlawn,  sixteen  miles 
southwest,  and  about  ten  miles  southeast  of  the  place 
where  Colonel  Williams  encamped  that  night,  and  his 
scouts  had  watched  the  movements  of  the  train  and  escort 
from  the  moment  they  left  Camden  until  they  went  into 
camp  that  night,  and  knew  the  number  of  wagons  in  the 
train  and  approximately  the  number  of  troops  in  the  escort, 
and  reported  all  this  to  General  Marmaduke  near  Wood- 
lawn  that  evening.  Later  in  the  evening  they  also  reported 
to  him  the  advance  of  the  troops  under  Captain  Duncan, 
which  left  Camden  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  the  train 
and  escort  left  in  the  morning,  to  re-enforce  Colonel 
Williams.  With  this  information  it  was  determined  that 


364  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War 

night  by  General  Marmaduke  to  make  an  effort  to  capture 
the  train,  and  preparations  were  made  to  start  early  the 
next  morning  with  picked  men  from  three  divisions,  the 
divisions  of  Marmaduke,  Cabell  and  Maxey,  with  a  four 
gun  battery  to  each  division,  the  whole  force  of  3,700  men 
and  twelve  pieces  of  artillery  to  be  under  the  command 
of  General  S.  B.  Maxey,  the  senior  officer  of  the  three 
brigadier-generals  who  were  to  direct  the  movements  of 
the  troops  in  the  enterprise.  In  the  plan  of  attack,  Mar- 
maduke's  division  was  to  form  on  the  right,  with  a  bat 
tery  near  its  center;  Cabell's  division  in  the  center,  with 
a  battery  near  his  center,  and  Maxey's  division  of  Texans 
and  Choctaw  Indians  on  the  left  of  the  Confederate  line, 
with  a  battery  near  his  center.  In  taking  their  positions 
on  the  field,  Marmaduke's  and  Cabell's  lines  faced  west, 
covering  the  Federal  front,  and  Maxey's  line  faced  north, 
covering  the  Federal  right. 

When  his  advance  guard  fired  upon  and  drove  in  the 
Confederate  picket,  Colonel  Williams  knew  nothing  about 
these  dispositions  of  the  Confederate  troops  in  his  front 
and  on  his  flanks,  nor  the  strength  of  the  force  confronting 
him. 

But  from  what  he  saw  of  the  movements  and  boldness 
of  the  Confederate  skirmish  line,  he  jsuspected  that  the 
situation  might  be  a  serious  one,  and  one  that  demanded 
of  him  extreme  caution.  Up  to  that  moment  it  was 
thought  that  if  an  attack  should  be  made  on  the  train, 
it  would  more  likely  be  made  on  the  rear  than  in  front, 
and  as  a  consequence  most  of  his  troops  who  were  not 
out  with  the  forage  details  were  in  rear  of  the  train. 

He  ordered  the  train  halted  and  parked,  and  forming 
in  line  the  small  force  of  his  cavalry  advance,  directed 
Lieutenant  Haines,  commanding  the  section  of  the  battery, 
to  open  fire  upon  the  Confederate  position  for  the  pur 
pose  of  ascertaining  whether  the  enemy  had  artillery,  and 
that  the  sound  of  artillery  firing  might  warn  his  forage 
details  which  were  out  to  come  in. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  365 

The  fire  of  his  two  guns  did  not  have  the  effect  of  at 
once  drawing  a  response  from  the  Confederate  artillery, 
but  the  Confederate  skirmishers  opened  a  brisk  fire  of 
musketry  at  long  range,  doing  very  little  damage.  The 
moment  the  Confederate  skirmish  line  was  observed, 
Colonel  Williams  ordered  his  colored  infantry,  under  Major 
Ward  to  the  front.  As  they  came  up  they  formed  in  line 
on  each  side  of  the  road  at  the  top  of  hill,  the  right  of 
the  line  overlooking  the  north  end  of  a  field  which  was  a 
hundred  yards  or  so  in  front.  The  field  may  have  had 
twenty  to  thirty  acres  in  it,  and  the  north  end  of  it  was 
about  two  hundred  yards  south  of  the  Camden  road. 

Nearly  all  the  high  ground  in  that  section  not  in 
cultivation  was  covered  with  pine  timber,  and  in  some 
places  with  a  young  growth  of  pine,  making  it  impossible 
to  see  objects  more  than  a  hundred  yards  or  so  in  front. 
While  the  Confederate  commander  was  making  disposition 
of  his  troops  on  his  left,  most  of  Colonel  Williams'  forage 
details  which  were  out,  on  hearing  the  cannonading  of 
the  first  skirmish,  hastily  came  in,  and  Lieutenant  Robert 
Henderson,  of  the  Sixth  Kansas,  who  had  been  out  with 
a  train  of  eighteen  wagons,  on  returning  turned  them  over 
to  the  quartermaster,  and  then  marched  to  the  front  and 
reported.  Colonel  Williams  had  just  noticed  through  the 
openings  in  the  pine  woods  a  movement  of  Confederate  in 
fantry  toward  his  right;  but,  still  desiring  to  know  the 
nature  of  the  force  in  his  front,  sent  forward  from  his 
right  Lieutenants  Henderson  and  Mitchell  with  their 
cavalry  with  instructions  to  press  the  Confederate  line,  and 
if  possible  ascertain  the  position  and  strength  of  the 
enemy.  While  moving  along  the  north  end  of  the  field  in 
the  pine  woods  between  the  field  and  the  road,  and  just  as 
it  was  nearing  the  northeast  corner,  his  cavalry  received 
a  heavy  volley  of  musketry  from  the  enemy  posted  in  the 
brush  in  front,  wounding  Lieutenant  Henderson  severely, 
who  was  held  on  his  horse  and  taken  to  the  rear.  On  re 
turning  the  fire  with  their  carbines  this  cavalry  was  driven 


366  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

back  upon  the  line  of  colored  infantry,  and  were  then 
ordered  to  take  a  position  on  the  extreme  right  of  that 
regiment.  On  bringing  up  the  colored  infantry,  a  skirm 
ish  line  was  thrown  forward  about  a  hundred  yards  in 
front,  covering  the  left  wing.  This  skirmish  line  was 
kept  out  upwards  of  half  an  hour,  exchanging  shots  with 
the  Confederate  skirmishers,  and  was  called  in  only  when 
it  was  evident  that  the  Confederate  infantry  were  on  the 
point  of  advancing  against  the  Federal  right. 

In  a  short  time  after  the  cavalry  under  Lieutenants 
Henderson  and  Mitchell  were  driven  in  on  the  Federal 
right,  the  batteries  of  Marmaduke's  and  Cabell's  divisions 
in  the  Federal  front  and  the  battery  of  Maxey's  division 
on  the  right  of  the  Federal  position  opened  a  heavy  cross 
fire  of  shot  and  shell  upon  the  Federal  line,  lasting  per 
haps  half  an  hour.  During  this  heavy  cannonade,  Major 
Ward  ordered  his  men  to  lie  down  on  the  ground  just  be 
hind  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and  though  exposed  to  the 
storm  of  shot  and  shell  from  this  terrible  cross-fire, 
his  line  suffered  very  few  casualties.  This  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  pine  woods  concealed  the  exact  location  of 
his  line  from  the  view  of  the  Confederate  artillery  officers. 

In  the  course  of  this  fierce  artillery  contest,  a  piece  of 
shell  struck  one  of  the  colored  infantry  between  the  should 
ers,  and  he  jumped  up  and  spun  around  for  a  moment  in 
great  agony.  A  mounted  Confederate  officer  near  his 
battery  in  front,  through  an  opening  in  the  woods,  saw 
the  wounded  soldier  jump  up,  disclosing  the  position  of  the 
Federal  line,  and  at  once  turned  his  guns  in  that  direction 
and  swept  nearly  every  foot  of  the  ground  a  few  paces  in 
front  of  the  colored  infantry  with  a  storm  of  shot  and 
shell.  Colonel  Williams  sat  on  his  horse  a  few  paces  in  the 
rear  of  his  line  with  his  field-glass  in  his  hands,  looking 
through  it  and  carefully  watched  every  movement  of  the 
enemy  as  far  as  could  be  seen  through  the  openings  in  the 
woods,  and  while  a  storm  of  shot  and  bursting  shell  were 
flying  thickly  around  him,  cautioned  his  men  to  keep 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  367 

their  eyes  to  the  front.  Even  before  the  Confederate  bat 
tery  had  opened  fire  on  his  right,  he  had  noticed  through 
the  openings  in  the  pine  forest  heavy  masses  of  Confed 
erate  infantry  moving  to  his  right,  and  feeling  satisfied 
that  he  would  soon  be  attacked  from  that  quarter,  directed 
Major  Ward  to  form  the  right  wing  of  his  regiment  facing 
south.  To  guard  against  a  flank  movement  against  his 
left  front,  Lieutenant  Josephus  Utt  was  posted  on  his 
extreme  left,  with  seventy-five  men  of  the  Fourteenth 
Kansas  Cavalry.  Captain  Duncan,  commanding  the  rear 
guard  of  the  train,  when  it  was  found  that  the  enemy  were 
advancing  against  the  Federal  front  and  right  flank, 
formed  his  men  of  the  Eighteenth  Iowa  Infantry  in  line 
south  of  the  road,  facing  southeast,  with  a  section  of  how 
itzers,  under  Lieutenant  Walker,  and  the  cavalry,  under 
Lieutenant  R.  L.  Phillips,  Sixth  Kansas,  on  his  right. 
When  the  Confederate  artillery  ceased  firing,  the  Confed 
erate  infantry  advanced  through  the  pine  woods  on  the 
left  and  right  of  the  road  in  front,  through  the  field  south 
of  the  road,  and  through  the  brush  southwest  of  the  field, 
and  came  up  at  a  trail-arms  within  one  hundred  yards  of 
the  Federal  line,  when  Major  Ward  gave  the  order  and 
the  colored  infantry  rose  from  the  ground  and  com 
menced  firing  from  the  right  of  each  wing,  and  then  along 
the  entire  line,  and  kept  it  up,  firing  four  or  five  volleys, 
using  buck  and  ball,  until  the  Confederates  retired  out  of 
range.  In  this  second  assault  the  men  of  the  opposing  lines 
were  near  enough  to  hear  each  other  talking,  and  part 
of  General  Maxey's  line  on  the  Federal  right  introduced 
themselves  as  the  Twenty-ninth  Texas,  and  called  out  so 
as  to  be  heard,  "You  First  Kansas  Niggers  now  buck  to  the 
Twenty-ninth  Texas."  The  Twenty-ninth  Texas  and  the 
First  Kansas  Colored  Infantry  were  opposed  to  each  other 
in  the  battle  of  Elk  Creek,  Indian  Territory,  in  July,  1863, 
and  in  that  fight  the  Texans  were  driven  off  the  field  in 
much  confusion  and  with  a  heavy  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded. 


368  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

After  the  charge,  Colonel  Williams  saw  from  the 
overwhelming  forces  hurled  against  him,  supported  by 
twelve  pieces  of  artillery  posted  so  as  to  cross-fire  his 
position,  that  there  was  no  reasonable  prospect  of  defeat 
ing  the  enemy;  but  he  determined  to  defend  the  train  as 
long  as  possible,  hoping  that  the  roar  of  the  battle  would 
bring  out  re-enforcements  from  Camden  to  his  assistance. 
He  kept  the  section  of  the  Second  Indiana  Battery  under 
Lieutenant  Haines  steadily  at  work  on  the  Confederate 
positions  in  his  front  and  on  his  right  from  the  first 
skirmish,  now  nearly  two  hours,  and  he  did  not  doubt  but 
that  this  continuous  cannonading  would  notify  the  officers 
and  troops  at  Camden,  ten  miles  distant,  that  he  was  heav 
ily  engaged.  In  order  to  strengthen  his  left  center,  which 
had  twice  been  driven  back,  General  Maxey  ordered 
Greene's  brigade  of  Marmaduke's  division  on  the  right  to 
take  position  in  the  center  between  Maxey'3  and  Cabell's 
divisions,  and  then  the  Confederate  forces  moved  forward, 
four  lines  deep,  in  a  third  charge,  their  continuous  shout 
ing  at  times  rising  above  the  roar  of  the  musketry.  They 
were  permitted  to  approach  within  easy  musket  range, 
when  Major  Ward  ordered  his  men  to  open  fire  upon 
them,  to  which  the  Confederates  replied  with  vigor,  but 
were  again  obliged  to  retire  out  of  range  after  a  sharp 
conflict  of  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes. 

Every  time  the  Confederate  infantry  retired  out  of 
range  to  lower  ground,  the  Confederate  batteries,  from 
elevated  positions,  firing  over  their  heads,  cross-fired  the 
Federal  position  with  a  perfect  storm  of  shot  and  shell. 
Just  at  the  close  of  the  third  assault  the  two  pieces  of  the 
Second  Indiana  Battery  having  nearly  exhausted  their  shell 
and  canister,  and  nearly  all  the  gunners  of  the  right  piece 
being  wounded  and  disabled,  Lieutenant  Haines  was  or 
dered  to  report  to  Captain  Duncan,  commanding  the  rear 
guard,  and  number  one  on  the  left  was  limbered  towards 
the  rear  on  the  north  side  of  the  road. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  369 

In  the  three  desperate  assaults  which  the  enemy  had 
made  on  his  lines,  Colonel  Williams  saw  that  his  right  and 
front  had  suffered  so  heavily  in  killed  and  wounded  that 
he  could  not  sustain  another  charge,  for  which  the  Con 
federates  were  preparing,  without  too  great  a  sacrifice,  and 
started  to  ride  to  the  rear  to  form  the  Eighteenth  Iowa  in 
a  favorable  position  for  the  colored  infantry  to  fall  back 
upon,  when  his  horse  was  shot  under  him.  Major  Ward 
immediately  gave  him  his  horse,  and  he  mounted  it  and 
rode  back  and  formed  the  Eighteenth  Iowa  in  line  facing 
in  the  direction  from  which  the  enemy  were  advancing; 
but  he  had. hardly  completed  this  duty  when  the  Confed 
erates  made  their  fourth  charge,  forcing  the  line  of  the 
colored  infantry,  which  from  the  first  assault  had  been  a 
curved  line,  with  the  center  of  the  curve  outward,  back 
about  one  hundred  yards,  close  upon  the  train.  At  this 
time  the  smoke  was  so  dense  along  the  line  of  battle  that 
the  troops  could  see  each  other  distinctly  only  a  few  yards 
distant,  making  it  difficult  to  keep  a  perfect  alignment. 
Two  companies  of  the  colored  regiment  which  had  at  first 
formed  the  left  of  the  left  wing,  under  Lieutenant  W.  C. 
Gibbons,  on  the  north  side  of  the  road,  on  retiring  on  that 
side  of  the  road  became  separated  from  the  other  com 
panies  by  the  train,  which  was  now  between  them. 

But  as  the  Confederates  were  also  pressing  forward 
on  the  Federal  left,  Lieutenant  Gibbons  had  all  he  could 
do  to  keep  them  off  until  his  men  joined  their  comrades 
north  of  the  road  near  the  rear  of  the  train.  Early  in  the 
action  Colonel  Williams  was  convinced  from  the  movements 
of  the  Confederates  and  from  information  obtained  from  a 
Confederate  soldier,  who  rode  into  his  line  inquiring  for 
Colonel  De  Morse,  that  their  main  attack  was  going  to  be 
directed  against  his  front  and  right  flank,  and  to 
strengthen  this  part  of  his  line,  and  to  be  prepared  for 
the  charge  which  he  knew  was  coming,  ordered  up  four 
companies  of  the  Eighteenth  Iowa.  In  the  meantime 
Colonel  Tandy  Walker's  Choctaw  Indian  Brigade  had 


370  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

formed  in  line  on  General  Maxey's  left  about  half  a  mile 
south  of  the  rear  of  the  train,  on  Captain  Duncan's  right 
when  his  line  faced  east,  but  directly  in  his  front  when  he 
changed  his  line  facing  south,  and  in  view  of  the  situation 
he  sent  a  message  to  Colonel  Williams,  stating  that  he  was 
so  closely  pressed  by  the  enemy  that  he  could  not  spare 
the  men  called  for.  Though  he  was  threatened  by  this  In 
dian  Brigade  in  his  front  while  the  desperate  conflict  was 
going  on  in  front  and  on  the  right  of  the  train,  his  com 
mand  did  not  become  heavily  engaged  until  the  line  of 
colored  infantry  was  broken,  and  the  retreat  had  com 
menced.  After  the  line  of  colored  infantry  was  forced 
back  in  the  fourth  assault,  the  Confederate  commander 
rapidly  drew  his  line  closer  around  the  Federal  position, 
and  his  troops  seeing  that  success  was  assured,  went  into 
the  closing  scenes  of  the  fight  with  a  wild  hurrah  and  war 
whoop  of  the  Indians,  shooting  down  the  colored  wounded 
soldiers  as  they  came  upon  any  who  were  left  on  the  field. 
With  desperate  valor  and  contesting  every  inch  of  ground, 
the  colored  infantry  were  forced  from  their  position  back 
upon  the  rear  of  the  train  and  formed  on  the  left  of  the 
Eighteenth  Iowa,  pouring  volley  after  volley  into  the  ranks 
of  the  exulting  foe  as  they  retired. 

The  Federal  troops  and  train  were  now  entirely  sur 
rounded,  and  the  firing  of  small  arms  and  artillery,  the 
crashing  of  shot  and  bursting  shell  in  among  the  teams  of 
the  large  train,  the  roar  of  battle,  and  the  shouting  and 
war  whoops  of  the  victorious  Confederates,  soon  caused  a 
scene  of  great  confusion. 

Colonel  Williams  now  saw  that  it  was  impossible  to 
save  the  train,  and  that  it  would  require  heroic  courage  to 
save  his  troops  who  were  not  already  left  on  the  field, 
killed  and  wounded.  In  a  few  moments  after  part  of  the 
colored  infantry  formed  on  the  left  of  the  Eighteenth 
Iowa,  the  united  commands  were  compelled  by  overpower 
ing  numbers  of  the  enemy  to  retire  to  the  north  side  of  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  37 1 

Camden  road,  where  a  stand  was  made  for  a  short  time 
to  enable  the  section  of  the  battery  to  move  to  the  rear, 
which  was  then  north  of  the  road.  When  forced  from 
this  position  the  Federal  troops  retired  through  an  open 
field,  and  in  the  timber  on  the  north  side  of  it  formed  in 
line  again,  and  after  a  few  volleys  checked  the  Confed 
erates,  who  were  advancing  with  yells  from  the  front  and 
left  and  right  flanks. 

In  retiring  to  this  position,  this  main  part  of  the  com 
mand  was  joined  by  quite  a  number  of  colored  soldiers  who 
had  fallen  back  from  the  front  on  the  north  side  of  the 
train  under  Lieutenant  Gibbons,  and  by  others  who  made 
their  way  through  the  teams  to  the  north  side  of  the  road 
when  Colonel  Williams'  front  and  right  flank  were  forced 
back  after  the  fourth  charge. 

Having  had  a  short  respite  to  allow  the  scattered  de 
tachments  to  join  the  main  command,  it  was  the  purpose  of 
Colonel  Williams  to  have  the  Federal  troops  retreat  to 
Camden  by  the  most  direct  route  practicable.  Closely 
pressed  by  the  enemy  from  all  sides,  and  retreating 
through  timber  and  thick  brush  and  over  ground  cut  up 
by  ravines  over  which  it  was  impracticable  to  move  artil 
lery,  it  became  necessary  to  cut  the  horses  loose  from  the 
two  pieces  of  the  Second  Indiana  Battery  and  the  two 
howitzers  of  the  Sixth  Kansas,  and  abandon  the  guns. 
Near  the  field  north  of  the  Camden  road,  Colonel  Williams 
rallied  part  of  the  cavalry,  under  Lieutenant  Phillips,  Sixth 
Kansas,  and  held  them  in  line  long  enough  to  enable  the 
wounded  colored  soldiers  who  had  fallen  in  the  rear  to 
come  up  and  reach  a  swamp  which  lay  in  his  front  and  get 
away.  After  leaving  the  position  behind  the  field  in  the 
timber,  the  Confederate  infantry  did  not  get  up  within 
rifle  range  of  the  Federal  troops;  but  the  Confederate 
cavalry  continued  the  pursuit  about  two  miles,  frequently 
pressing  closely  upon  Colonel  Williams'  flanks  and  rear, 


372  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War, 

so  that  his  troops  were  obliged  to  form  four  or  five  time*, 
face  to  the  rear,  and  give  the  enemy  a  volley  each  time 
to  hold  them  off. 

As  General  Maxey  wished  to  secure  the  large  train  and 
the  abandoned  guns,  and  fearing  that  a  large  Federal  force 
would  come  out  from  Camden  and  attack  him,  he  very 
soon  called  off  his  troops  from  the  pursuit,  and  placed  part 
of  them  in  position  on  the  Camden  road  east  of  the  train. 
It  was  about  two  o'clock  when  the  Confederate  cavalry 
disappeared  from  the  rear  and  flanks  of  the  retreating 
Federal  troops,  after  which,  by  toilsome  marching  through 
swamps  and  pine  woods,  they  reached  Camden  that  night 
about  eight  o'clock,  without  further  interruption,  in  a 
nearly  exhausted  condition. 

On  account  of  the  repeated  threats  which  the  Con 
federates  had  made  that  they  would  show  no  quarter  to 
colored  soldiers,  and  having  that  day  seen  the  Confederates 
shooting  and  bayoneting  the  wounded  colored  soldiers 
where  they  had  fallen,  every  colored  soldier  who  was 
wounded  in  the  fight  and  who  could  walk  came  off  the 
field  with  the  troops  in  the  retreat.  Some  who  were  too 
badly  wounded  to  walk  lay  on  the  field,  and  when  the  Con 
federates  came  near  them,  feigned  death,  and  crawled  off 
the  field  after  dark,  and  endeavored  to  make  their  way 
back  to  camp,  marching  while  they  had  strength  and 
then  lying  down  in  the  grass  and  weeds  to  rest.  Several 
colored  soldiers  who  were  badly  wounded,  and  who  from 
weakness  and  loss  of  blood  were  obliged  to  march  and 
rest  at  intervals,  were  bitten  by  poisonous  snakes  while 
lying  down  in  the  grass  and  weeds  during  the  night,  and 
when  they  got  into  camp  the  next  day  their  bodies  were 
horribly  swollen  from  the  effect  of  the  poison  which  had 
spread  through  their  systems.  One  of  the  colored  sol 
diers  who  was  wounded  and  lay  on  the  field  until  night 
feigning  death,  and  then  crawled  off  and  made  his  way 
n.to  cniv.r,  stated  that  he  saw  the  Confederates  shooting 


The  Urvion  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  373 

the  wounded  colored  soldiers  who  were  left  on  the  field, 
and  that  the  Confederate  soldiers  went  over  the  field  after 
the  battle,  calling  out  and  answering  each  other,  "Where 
is  the  First  Kansas  Nigger  now?"  "All  cut  to  pieces  and 
gone  to  hell  by  bad  management." 

The  Federal  loss  in  the  battle  was  122  men  and  of 
ficers  killed,  97  wounded,  and  81  missing.  In  the  fight  and 
in  the  retreat,  the  colored  regiment  had  117  men  and  of 
ficers  killed  and  65  wounded.  When  separated  from  their 
command  or  cut  off  from  it,  the  colored  soldiers  were  shot 
down  without  mercy,  and  General  Cabell  reported  that  one 
of  his  regiments,  stationed  east  of  the  battle  field  on  the 
Camden  road,  killed  at  least  80  negroes. 

General  Maxey  reported  his  loss,  from  incomplete  re 
turns  of  casualties  in  his  different  commands,  at  17  men 
killed  and  88  wounded.  His  officers  reported  only  4 
colored  men  captured.  Immediately  after  the  fight  was 
over  he  commenced  removing  the  train,  artillery  and  cap 
tured  property  from  the  scene  of  the  conflict  to  the  Con 
federate  camp  near  Woodlawn,  the  last  of  his  troops  not 
leaving  the  field  until  nearly  dark. 


374  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

CHAPTER  XXI 
OPERATIONS  OF  THE  INDIAN  BRIGADE 

The  post  of  Fort  Smith  was  in  the  Choctaw  Nation 
west  of  the  State  line  and  separated  from  the  town  of 
Fort  Smith  in  Arkansas  by  a  narrow  street.  It  was 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Arkansas  River,  on  the  west 
by  the  Poteau  River,  and  covered  only  a  few  acres  of 
ground,  with  a  stone  wall  five  or  six  feet  high  on  the  east 
and  south  sides;  but  it  had  no  defensive  works. 

To  the  south  and  southeast  of  the  city,  which  had  a 
population  of  about  two  thousand,  there  was  high  ground 
suitable  for  defensive  works,  and  upon  which  the  chief 
engineer  of  the  district  worked  out  plans  for  construct 
ing  fortifications  after  the  departure  of  the  troops  under 
General  Thayer  to  join  General  Steele  on  the  Camden 
Expedition;  but  after  keeping  out  mounted  scouting  de 
tachments,  and  detachments  for  keeping  up  communication 
with  his  outposts  and  details  for  provost  duty,  Colonel 
Judson  commanding  the  district  and  post,  had  very  few 
men  available  for  working  on  fortifications.  Generals 
Steele  and  Thayer  both  knew  of  the  defenseless  condition 
of  Fort  Smith  and  Western  Arkansas,  and  on  the  return  of 
the  troops  from  the  Camden  Expedition  to  Little  Rock, 
General  Thayer  was  ordered  to  return  with  his  division  to 
Fort  Smith,  and  resume  command  of  the  District  of  the 
Frontier,  arriving  there  about  the  middle  of  May. 

On  the  first  of  January,  1864,  Major-General  S.  R. 
Curtis  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Department  of 
Kansas,  which  included  the  State  of  Kansas  and  the  In 
dian  Territory  and  the  post  of  Fort  Smith,  with  head 
quarters  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  He  soon  made  a  recon 
naissance  of  a  part  of  his  Department,  going  as  far  south 
as  Fort  Gibson,  and  returned  via  Fort  Smith,  Fayetteville, 
Neosho  and  Fort  Scott,  inspecting  the  condition  of  his 
troop^  and  the  defensive  positions  they  occupied,  and  found 


The  Union  Indian  'Brigade  m  the  Civil  War.  375 

that  there  was  great  need  of  the  improvement  of  both, 
except  that  Fort  Gibson  had  been  fairly  well  fortified  un 
der  the  direction  of  Colonel  Phillips,  who  had  improved  the 
works  from  time  to  time  as  he  found  opportunity  and  the 
means. 

There  had  been  much  complaint  of  the  people  of  the 
western  counties  of  Missouri,  since  the  early  days  of  the 
war,  up  to  the  assignment  of  General  Curtis  as  commander 
of  the  Department  of  Kansas,  of  Kansas  troops  operating 
in  the  western  border  counties  of  Missouri,  and  of  citizens 
of  Kansas  coming  into  those  counties  for  the  purpose  of 
robbing  and  looting  and  taking  the  loot  with  them  back 
to  Kansas,  without  any  regard  to  the  political  status  of  the 
people  from  whom  it  was  taken. 

It  seemed  very  difficult  for  the  politicians  of  Kansas, 
who  were  very  numerous,  to  get  into  their  heads  that  there 
was  any  loyalty  in  Missouri,  for  they  seemed  to  think  that 
all  the  people  there  should  be  treated  indiscriminately  as 
the  worst  of  rebels,  and  the  whole  country  swept  with  fire 
and  sword,  whereas  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  whole  effort  of 
Kansas  in  the  war  vvas  but  a  mere  trifle  of  what  Missouri 
was  doing  in  men  and  resources  to  sustain  the  Union  cause 
at  home  and  on  all  fronts. 

General  Lane,  Senator  from  Kansas,  had  great  influ 
ence  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  sometimes  Kansas  was  in  the 
Department  of  the  Missouri,  and  at  other  times  it  was 
arranged  for  Kansas  troops  to  operate  in  Missouri  through 
his  influence,  and  the  generals  commanding  the  District 
of  the  Border  were  men  whom  he  had  been  instrumental  in 
promoting,  and  it  was  claimed  were  ready  to  do  his  bidding. 

Hon.  Austin  A.  King,  member  of  Congress  from  the 
Sixth  District  of  Missouri,  which  included  the  western 
border  counties  to  Vernon,  wrote  General  W.  S.  Rosecrans, 
the  new  commander  of  the  Department  of  Missouri,  that 
he  was  truly  gratified  that  Kansas  had  been  cut  off  from 
Missouri  in  the  new  arrangement  of  Departments ;  that 
all  the  trouble  on  the  border  had  grown  out  of  the 


376  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War. 

contiguity  of  the  people  of  his  District  to  Kansas;  that  the 
Military  District  had  been  composed  of  part  of  Kansas 
and  a  tier  of  border  counties  in  Missouri,  and  had  been 
commanded  by  a  Kansas  general  who  was  a  Kansas  poli 
tician  with  Kansas  troops  in  his  command;  that  he  did 
not  consider  it  wise  and  just  to  allow  Kansas  politicians  to 
make  capital  out  of  the  lives  and  property  of  the  people 
of  Missouri,  and  that  two  millions  of  dollars  would  not 
compensate  the  people  of  Jackson,  Cass  and  Bates  counties 
for  the  property  taken  by  Kansas  thieves,  and  mostly  by 
men  having  military  commands,  or  by  their  known  conniv 
ance. 

The  population  of  those  counties  was  nearly  evenly 
divided  on  the  issues  of  the  war;  they  had  probably  fur 
nished  as  many  troops  for  the  Union  as  for  the  Confed 
erate  army,  and  a  much  larger  number  if  the  Missouri  En 
rolled  Militia  should  be  included,  and  the  loyal  part  of  the 
people  were  certainly  entitled  to  fair  treatment  and  pro 
tection,  which  they  could  not  get  at  the  hands  of  Kansas 
commanding  officers,  dominated  by  Kansas  politicians, 
who  were  willing  to  put  their  selfish  interests  above  the 
common  welfare  of  the  country. 

The  Kansas  politicians  were  not  only  largely  responsi 
ble  for  the  trouble  and  almost  intolerable  conditions  on 
the  borders  of  Missouri  and  Kansas  the  past  years  of  the 
war,  but  they  were  now  scheming  to  introduce  chaotic 
conditions  in  the  Indian  country  by  proposing  to  muster 
out  of  service  the  three  regiments  of  the  loyal  Indian 
Brigade  for  the  purpose  of  getting  rid  of  Colonel  Phillips, 
the  Indian  Brigade  commander,  whose  wonderful  energy 
and  foresight  had  made  these  troops,  with  a  small  con 
tingent,  a  battalion  of  white  troops,  so  efficient  that  he  had 
been  able  to  seize  and  hold  Fort  Gibson  for  six  months,  a 
position  one  hundred  miles  south  of  any  other  position 
held  by  the  Federal  forces  west  of  the  Mississippi  River. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  377 

His  disinterested  and  honest  course  in  protecting  the 
rights  and  interests  of  the  Indians  during  the  nearly  two 
years  he  had  been  with  them  won  their  respect  and 
almost  affection,  with  an  abiding  confidence  in  his  judg 
ment,  in  all  matters  in  which  he  was  called  to  act  as  a 
military  commander,  or  in  the  capacity  of  a  civil  admin 
istrator. 

While  officers  of  an  adjacent  military  district  made  a 
scout  into  the  Indian  country  under  the  pretense  of  fol 
lowing  the  trail  of  enemy  partisan  bands,  but  for  the 
real  purpose  of  gathering  up  stock  of  the  Indians  without 
regard  to  the  political  status  of  the  Indians  from  whom 
it  was  taken  and  driving  it  to  Kansas  and  selling  it  and 
appropriating  the  money  to  their  own  use,  he  had 
ordered  all  stock  taken  up  off  the  range  turned  over  to  the 
subsistence  department  for  feeding  his  troops,  with  in 
structions  to  officers  to  ascertain  the  political  status  of 
the  parties  from  whom  the  stock  was  taken,  and  if  loyal 
to  pay  for  it,  if  disloyal  to  confiscate  it  and  appropriate 
it  for  subsisting  his  command,  and  thus  save  the  Govern 
ment  large  sums  of  money,  which  it  had  been  paying  out 
for  fresh  beef  for  the  troops. 

The  administration  of  affairs  of  the  Indian  country 
was  unquestionably  getting  difficult  to  handle,  and  a  com 
mander  of  less  energy  and  sturdy  honesty,  than  Colonel 
Phillips  would  certainly  have  failed  to  check  or  expose 
men,  who  it  was  asserted,  had  by  political  influence  se 
cured  large  contracts  for  putting  up  hay  and  furnishing 
subsistence  supplies  for  the  troops  in  the  Indian  country, 
where  there  would  be  room  for  fraud  on  a  great  scale, 
unless  the  keenest  vigilance  was  exercised  by  the  com 
manding  officer. 

It  was  known  to  these  schemers  and  contractors  that 
Colonel  Phillips  had  an  eye  open  to  everything  going  on 
about  him.  He  was  an  incessant  worker  and  when  General 
Curtis  was  at  Fort  Gibson  on  his  reconnaissance  of  that 
part  of  his  Department  in  the  early  part  of  February, 


378  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

the  Colonel  was  unable  to  see  him  to  talk  over  the  gen 
eral  situation  in  the  Indian  country.  He  had  a  few  days 
before  the  General '3  arrival,  started  on  an  expedition  to 
clean  out  the  Southern  Indian  forces  south  of  the  Cana 
dian  River,  and  in  which  he  succeeded,  after  several  skirm 
ishes,  in  driving  them  beyond  Middle  Boggy,  and  almost 
to  Red  River,  capturing  and  destroying  large  quantities  of 
their  supplies,  and  to  further  demoralize  them,  he  suc 
ceeded  in  putting  into  the  hands  of  some  of  their  leaders 
copies  of  the  President's  Proclamation,  offering  amnesty  to 
those  who  returned  to  their  former  status  under  treaty 
relations.  The  latter  part  of  winter  his  command  was 
short  of  rations  and  forage,  and  he  was  obliged  to  send  a 
battalion  of  Indians  to  Rhea's  Mill  in  Arkansas,  to  collect 
wheat  and  corn  and  run  the  mill  in  making  flour  and 
meal  for  his  troops  at  Fort  Gibson,  for  the  Arkansas  River 
had  not  yet  been  navigable  for  bringing  supplies  up  the 
river  by  steamer  to  Fort  Smith,  and  it  had  been  impossi 
ble  to  bring  supplies  down  from  Fort  Scott  by  wagon 
trains.  He  felt  that  there  was  a  disposition  in  some  quar 
ters  to  neglect  furnishing  not  only  food  supplies  for  the 
Indian  command,  but  also  supplies  of  clothing  and  equip 
ments.  In  his  reconnaissance  and  inspection  to  Fort  Gib 
son  General  Curtis  not  only  became  convinced  of  the  im 
portance  of  the  Indian  Brigade,  but  saw  the  necessity  of 
improving  it  instead  of  recommending  its  muster  out 
of  service. 

After  the  expedition  of  Colonel  Phillips  to  South 
Boggy  in  the  early  part  of  February,  the  Southern  Indian 
forces  displayed  very  little  activity  in  the  Indian  country 
south  of  the  Arkansas,  until  spring,  when,  under  the 
leadership  of  General  Maxey,  they  commenced  showing 
some  aggressiveness  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Choctaw 
Nation. 

The  Federal  administration  of  affairs  in  the  Indian 
country  during  the  winter  of  1863-4  was  not  as  efficient 
as  it  should  have  been  in  the  estimation  of  many  of  those 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  379 

who  had  the  welfare  of  the  loyal  Indians  at  heart,  on  ac 
count  of  the  bickerings  and  quarrels  between  Department 
commanders  and  their  subordinates,  resulting  in  changes 
of  Department  commanders  and  Department  lines  and 
controversies  in  regard  to  which  department  certain  troops 
were  in  when  the  changes  were  made  by  the  War  Depart 
ment  under  political  pressure. 

There  was  no  doubt  but  that  the  administration  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Indian  Territory  under  Colonel  Phillips 
was  as  efficient  as  could  be  looked  for  with  the  means  at 
his  disposal ;  but  practically  all  the  white  troops  were  taken 
from  him  and  ordered  to  Fort  Smith,  and  he  was  unable  to 
secure  transportation  to  bring  down  barely  needed  sup 
plies  from  Fort  Scott  or  up  from  Fort  Smith,  making  it 
necessary  to  weaken  his  command  at  Fort  Gibson  by  send 
ing  heavy  detachments  with  such  wagons  and  teams  as  he 
could  press  into  service  to  Western  Arkansas,  to  purchase 
wheat  and  corn  to  make  into  flour  and  meal  to  feed  his 
troops.  After  General  Blunt  was  relieved  of  his  command 
at  Fort  Smith,  in  December,  he  returned  to  Kansas  and 
was  for  several  months  without  a  command,  and  for  some 
reason  or  other,  perhaps  because  he  was  a  partisan  of 
General  Lane,  had  not  by  his  recommendations  cordially 
supported  Colonel  Phillips  when  he  made  requisitions  for 
much  needed  supplies  to  bring  the  Indian  Brigade  up  to  a 
good  state  of  efficiency;  but  on  the  contrary,  when  the 
Colonel  was  taken  sick  the  latter  part  of  summer  after  the 
Elk  Creek  campaign,  and  sent  home  to  Kansas,  the  General 
recommended  that  the  Indian  Brigade  be  mustered  out  of 
serviec  as  ''worthless,"  in  the  face  of  the  fact  of  its  splen 
did  achievements  under  the  guidance  of  Colonel  Phillips  in 
seizing  and  holding  Fort  Gibson,  and  of  keeping  the  forces 
of  the  Southern  Indians  and  Texans  south  of  the  Arkansas 
River  during  the  spring  and  summer,  up  to  the  arrival  of 
Blunt  with  re-enforcements  in  July.  It  was  the  general 
belief,  which  was  alleged  to  have  been  supported  by  inside 
information,  that  the  recommendation  of  General  Blunt  for 


380  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

the  muster  out  of  service  of  the  loyal  Indian  Brigade-  as 
"worthless,"  was  instigated  by  Senator  Lane,  who  had 
secured  the  appointment  and  promotion  of  General  Blunt, 
was  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  prestige  of  Colonel 
Phillips,  whose  successful  operations  and  handling  of  the 
Indian  troops  were  attracting  attention,  and  might  win 
the  recommendation  of  some  other  Department  commander 
for  promotion. 

A  knowledge  of  the  recommendation  of  General  Blunt 
in  regard  to  the  muster  out  of  service  of  the  Indian  Bri 
gade  as  "worthless"  was  made  known  to  Colonel  Phillips, 
an  dwhen  the  General  returned  to  Fort  Smith  as  command 
er  of  the  District  of  the  Frontier  in  March,  1864,  the  rela 
tions  between  them  were  not  as  cordial  as  they  should 
have  been  between  a  military  commander  and  his  sub 
ordinate,  where  both  had  the  loyal  interest  of  the  Gov 
ernment  at  heart.  But  if  General  Blunt  had  been  a  party 
to  humiliating  Colonel  Phillips  and  destroying  his  prestige, 
someone  else  had  been  a  party  to  humiliating  the  General 
and  destroying  his  prestige,  for  on  his  arrival  at  Fort 
Smith  he  found  practically  all  the  white  troops  of  his  dis 
trict  were  in  the  Department  of  Arkansas  under  General 
Steele,  leaving  him  only  the  Indian  Brigade  and  a  few  de 
tachments  subject  to  his  orders.  This  situation  left  him 
almost  without  a  command,  and  after  a  little  more  than  a 
month  at  Fort  Smith,  he  was  relieved,  and  reported  to 
General  Curtis  for  assignment,  leaving  Colonel  Phillips 
still  in  command  of  the  Indian  Brigade,  with  a  prospect  of 
improving  its  morale  and  efficiency,  which  had  depreciated 
with  the  reports  that  it  was  to  be  mustered  out  of  service. 
But  after  its  inspection  by  General  Curtis  and  he  saw  what 
Colonel  Phillips  had  been  doing  and  was  doing  to  keep  up 
its  efficiency  under  great  difficulties,  he  let  it  be  known 
that  he  was  opposed  to  its  muster  out  of  service,  and  that 
he  would  do  everything  in  his  power  to  have  it  supplied 
with  food  and  clothing  and  equipment  the  same  as  white 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  381 

troops,  and  that  he  would  send  an  engineer  officer  to  Fort 
Gibson  to  work  out  plans  for  strengthening  the  fortifica 
tions,  and  that  he  would  request  the  Department  com 
mander  of  Arkansas  to  occupy  the  western  counties  of 
the  State  contiguous  to  the  Indian  Territory,  with  a  suf 
ficient  number  of  troops  to  protect  the  left  or  eastern 
flank  of  the  Indian  Brigade  to  prevent  incursions  of  the 
enemy. 

When  Colonel  Phillips  communicated  this  informa 
tion  to  his  command,  the  effect  was  almost  immediate  in 
improving  the  morale  and  efficiency  of  his  troops,  which 
was  shown  in  the  cheerfulness  with  which  those  at  the 
post  put  in  every  day  in  drilling  and  perfecting  their  sol 
dierly  bearing. 

When  General  Curtis  was  at  Fort  Gibson  the  Indian 
command  was  mostly  dismounted,  probably  two-thirds,  the 
hard  service  of  scouting  and  escorting  trains,  with  scanty 
forage,  had  rendered  their  ponies  unserviceable,  which  was 
a  serious  disadvantage  to  Colonel  Phillips  in  conducting 
operations  in  the  field,  and  General  Curtis  fully  appreciat 
ing  the  situation,  promised  to  get  authority  for  arming 
and  remounting  the  Second  and  Third  Indian  Regiments 
as  Mounted  Riflemen  on  ponies,  to  increase  their  efficiency 
in  holding  the  Indian  country. 

The  General  got  the  impression  that  the  Indian  sol 
diers  abused  regular  cavalry  horses,  and  thought  that 
pony  mounts  would  be  more  suitable  for  the  Indian  char 
acter  and  habits,  which  was  a  fact;  besides  pony  mounts 
could  be  purchased  for  $25  to  $30  each,  whereas  regular 
cavalry  horses  would  cost  from  $150  to  $175  each  at  Fort 
Scott  or  Fort  Leaven  worth. 

The  Arkansas  River  above  and  below  Fort  Gibson  to 
Fort  Smith  and  through  the  Indian  country,  when  properly 
guarded,  was  a  kind  of  buffer  against  the  inroads  upon 
Southern  Kansas  and  Southwest  Missouri,  by  Southern 
Partisan  bands  of  Missourians,  particularly  Quantrill's 
band,  who  had  been  spending  their  winters  in  Northern 


382  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Texas,  with  the  view  of  slipping  back  to  their  old  haunts  in 
Missouri  in,  the  spring  when  the  grass  was  up  sufficient 
to  allow  their  horses  to  live  by  grazing  during  their  easy 
marches  north  through  the  Indian  country.  In  this 
manner  it  was  possible  for  these  partisan  bands  and 
desperadoes  to  march  from  Red  River  through  the  Indian 
country  to  Southern  Kansas  or  Southwest  Missouri,  with 
out  any  reliable  information  of  their  movements  reach 
ing  the  Federal  Department  or  District  commanders  of 
those  States  until  the  outlaws  had  struck  a  dreadful  blow 
to  some  unprotected  town,  neighborhood,  or  small  de 
tachment  of  troops,  leaving  a  trail  of  blood  and  murder 
behind  them. 

Knowing  the  importance  of  the  Arkansas  River  as  a 
buffer  and  a  barrier  to  the  Southern  Indians  crossing  to 
the  north  side  of  it  in  making  raids  through  the  Cherokee 
Nation,  Colonel  Phillips  had  undertaken  to  guard  all  the 
principal  fords  below  Fort  Gibson  to  the  neighborhood  of 
Fort  Smith,  and  above  for  a  distance  of  fifty  to  sixty 
miles,  when  he  had  a  sufficient  number  of  mounted  men 
for  the  purpose.  He  was  then  able  to  receive  informa 
tion  of  every  movement  of  the  Southern  Partisan  bands 
marching  north  to  enter  Missouri  or  Kansas  for  guerrilla 
operations.  If  they  were  white  men,  there  was  no  mis 
take  as  to  who  they  were,  and  their  probable  destination. 
With  the  aid  of  his  scouts  and  spies  and  Indian  men  and 
women  coming  to  his  command  from  the  southern  part  of 
the  Indian  Territory,  he  received  information  of  the  inten 
tions  of  the  enemy,  when  a  movement  north  would  be 
made,  what  troops  would  be  in  it,  and  whether  they  pro 
posed  to  cross  the  Arkansas  above  or  below  Fort  Gibson, 
and  their  destination. 

The  latter  part  of  March  General  Cooper  arranged  to 
send  Quantriirs  command  north  into  Southern  Kansas  or 
Southwest  Missouri,  and  to  cross  the  Arkansas  above  Fort 
Gibson,  and  when  the  bandit  leader  arrived  at  one  of  the 
fords  above,  the  guard  stationed  there  by  Colonel  Phillips 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  383 

skirmished  with  them,  ascertained  that  they  were  white 
men,  and  reported  the  fact  to  headquarters  at  Fort  Gibson 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  the  Colonel  immediately  sent  out 
a  force  against  the  bandits  and  succeeded  in  driving  them 
back  south  of  the  river,  as  some  of  the  streams  on  their 
line  of  march  were  past  fording  from  recent  heavy  rains 
in  that  region.  He  knew  that  as  soon  as  their  march 
would  not  likely  be  impeded  by  high  waters,  the  bandits 
would  make  other  efforts  to  move  north  through  the  In 
dian  country  and  he  sent  a  dispatch  to  Fort  Smith  by 
courier  to  be  forwarded  by  telegraph  to  the  Department 
commanders  of  Missouri  and  Kansas,  to  be  on  the  look 
out  for  the  outlaws,  who  were  certainly  intending  to  go 
into  Kansas  or  Missouri. 

In  a  short  time  after  this,  however,  Quantrill  suc 
ceeded  in  crossing  the  Arkansas  River  at  another  point, 
but  not  without  the  knowledge  of  Colonel  Phillips,  and 
moved  north  through  the  western  counties  of  Missouri  to 
the  Missouri  River  counties  and  where  early  in  May  he 
was  giving  the  Federal  commanders  of  the  Districts  of 
Central  and  Western  Missouri  much  trouble  by  his  mur 
dering,  plundering  and  robbing  operations,  besides  the 
anxiety  he  gave  General  Curtis,  commanding  the  Depart 
ment  of  Kansas,  for  fear  of  the  outlaws  making  a  raid  into 
that  State  and  leaving  a  trail  of  devastation  and  murder 
in  their  wake. 

It  was  a  singular  fact  that  Quantrill  and  his  men  were 
almost  as  much  of  a  terror  to  the  people  of  Northern 
Texas  and  the  Southern  part  of  the  Indian  Territory  as 
they  were  to  the  Union  people  of  Western  Missouri  and 
Eastern  Kansas.  They  were  charged  with  robbing  and 
murdering  the  people  in  Texas  without  regard  to  their 
political  affiliations,  and  General  McCulloch,  commanding 
the  District  of  Northern  Texas,  reported  to  his  superior 
the  trouble  he  had  in  dealing  with  Quantrill  and  his  men ; 
that  he  had  beea  unable  to  control  them;  that  they  worn 


384  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

blue  overcoats ;  that  they  were  a  terror  to  the  country,  and 
a  curse  to  the  land  and  Southern  cause,  and  when  engaged 
in  robbing  and  murdering,  they  intimidated  their  victims 
and  friends  by  telling  them  they  were  Quantrill's  men, 
and  threatened  them  with  revenge  and  retaliation  if  any 
one  informed  against  them. 

Quantrill,  who  seems  to  have  been  commissioned  by 
General  Price  as  Colonel  of  Confederate  Cavalry,  was 
recognized  after  the  Lawrence  Massacre  as  the  leader  of 
all  the  Southern  bandit  organizations  in  Western  Missouri, 
extending  as  far  south  as  Bates  county,  and  all  co^ 
operated  under  his  leadership  in  all  their  black-flag  opera 
tions  until  some  time  after  the  Baxter  Springs  Massacre; 
but  when  they  were  in  their  winter  camp  in  and  near 
Sherman  in  Northern  Texas,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  a  dis 
sension  arose  among  the  followers  of  Quantrill  and  Bill 
Anderson,  the  two  chief  bandits,  which  caused  a  bitter 
feud  and  permanent  separation. 

The  feud  became  so  acute  that  they  turned  their  arms 
upon  each  other  when  General  McCulloch  ordered  Quan 
trill  arrested  and  brought  to  trial  for  the  lawless  conduct  of 
his  men  charged  with  murdering  and  robbing  reputable 
citizens  of  Northern  Texas,  and  when  he  returned  to  Mis 
souri  in  the  spring  the  bandit  leader  had  a  following  of 
only  forty  to  fifty  men,  and  his  rival,  Bill  Anderson,  had 
about  the  same  number;  but  they  never  co-operated  with 
each  other  in  any  movement  against  the  Federal  forces 
afterwards;  nor  did  Quantrill  ever  return  to  Texas  after 
his  trouble  with  General  McCulloch.  He  lost  his  prestige 
with  the  guerrilla  leaders,  and  also  with  Price  and  Shelby, 
and  after  Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  he  collected  in  De 
cember,  1864,  some  twenty-five  to  thirty  of  his  old  com 
pany  and  started  for  Kentucky  to  retrieve  his  lost  prestige. 
He  and  his  men  wore  Federal  uniforms;  they  arrived 
at  Hartford,  Ohio  county,  Kentucky,  January  22,  1865; 
they  deceived  the  Federal  officers  by  representing  them 
selves  as  belonging  to  the  Fourth  Missouri  Cavalry,  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.          385 

several  Federal  soldiers  lost  their  lives  at  the  hands  of  the 
bandits  by  the  deception;  but  their  murdering  and  robbing 
soon  disclosed  their  true  characters,  and  General  John  M. 
Palmer,  commanding  the  Department  of  Kentucky,  quickly 
had  his  mounted  forces  in  pursuit  of  them;  but  as  his 
regular  forces  were  not  meeting  with  success  in  running 
down  the  bandits,  he  commissioned  Captain  Edwin  Terrill, 
a  successful  guerrilla  fighter,  to  organize  a  company  of 
Federal  scouts,  nearly  all  citizens,  to  pursue  and  hunt  down 
and  bring  in  Quantrill  dead  or  alive.  Captain  Terrill  had 
thirty  men  in  hijs  company  and  at  once  took  up  the  pursuit 
of  the  outlaws,  and  striking  a  fresh  trail  of  mounted  men, 
followed  it  until  he  found  that  they  had  stopped  at  the 
farm  house  of  James  A.  Wakefield,  near  Bloomfield, 
Spencer  county,  the  headquarters  of  the  bandits. 

Having  been  informed  by  a  colored  blacksmith  near 
Wakefield's  on  May  10,  that  the  outlaws  had  turned  in  at 
the  barn  of  Wakefield  out  of  a  shower  of  rain,  Captain 
Terrill  charged  down  upon  them,  shouting  and  firing  as 
his  men  closed  up,  which  threw  the  bandits  into  confusion, 
and  in  scrambling  to  get  out  of  the  barn  to  reach  their 
horses,  hitched  in  the  barn  lot,  three  or  four  of  the  outlaws 
were  killed  and  Quantrill  wounded  in  the  back,  which 
paralyzed  him  except  his  head  and  arms.  He  was  taken 
into  Mr.  Wakefield's  house  and  treated  for  his  wound,  by 
a  physician,  and  the  next  day  Captain  Terrill  and  his  men 
came  and  took  him  and  put  him  in  a  wagon  with  straw 
for  bedding  and  started  with  him  for  Louisville,  where  they 
arrived  May  13th,  and  reported  to  General  Palmer's  head 
quarters.  From  the  General's  headquarters,  Quantrill  was 
sent  to  the  Military  Prison  Hospital,  where  he  died  June 
6,  1865.  His  followers  surrendered  the  following  July. 

Major  Cyrus  J.  Wilson,  who  belonged  to  a  Kentucky 
Cavalry  regiment  and  who  took  part  in  running  down 
Quantrill  and  his  men,  and  was  near  at  hand  when  he  was 
wounded  and  captured,  lived  at  Rives,  near  Union  City, 
in  Obion  county,  West  Tennessee,  in  1883-4.  The  writer, 


386         The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

who  was  an  agent  of  the  War  Department  at  the  time 
investigating  war  claims  in  that  section,  and  when  at  work 
in  that  neighborhood  made  the  Major's  home  his  head 
quarters  and  had  frequent  conversations  with  him  about 
features  of  the  war,  particularly  bandit  operations  in 
Kentucky  and  Missouri.  Among  the  incidents  related  by 
the  Major  was  the  part  he  took  in  running  down  the  out 
law  and  his  followers  and  of  being  near  at  hand  when  he 
was  mortally  wounded  by  Captain  Terrill's  men  and  taken 
to  Louisville  and  turned  over  to  General  Palmer.  It 
seemed  difficult  up  to  the  time  of  meeting  Major  Wilson 
to  secure  definite  and  first  hand  information  about  the 
last  days  of  the  noted  bandit  and  his  followers.* 

The  recommendation  of  General  Curtis  for  authority 
to  mount  the  soldiers  of  the  Indian  Brigade  on  ponies,  was 
submitted  to  General  Grant,  who  had  recently  been  ap 
pointed  Lieutenant  General  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Armies  of  the  United  States,  and  was  approved,  which,  as 
soon  as  accomplished,  greatly  increased  the  efficiency  of 
the  Indian  forces.  In  the  summer  of  1863,  no  effort  was 
made  by  the  Chief  Quartermaster  of  the  Department  to 
have  large  quantities  of  hay  put  up  at  Fort  Gibson,  Cabin 
Creek  and  Baxter  Springs,  which  would  have  been  a  big 
item  of  forage  for  the  public  animals  during  the  winter. 

This,  however,  was  to  be  remedied,  and  in  due  time 
contracts  were  let  for  putting  up  hay  at  Fort  Gibson,  Flat 
Rock,  Cabin  Creek  and  Baxter  Springs,  with  a  force  at 
each  place  deemed  sufficient  to  protect  it  against  raids  of 
the  enemy.  When  that  region  had  seasonable  rains  during 
the  spring  and  summer,  there  was  no  part  of  the  country 
that  produced  finer  wild  grass  for  hay  that  could  be  had 
for  the  cutting,  curing  and  putting  up  in  ricks,  and  with 
a  pair  of  good  strong  horses  to  each  mowing  machine,  a 
large  quantity  of  hay  could  be  cut,  cured  and  put  up  in  a 
short  time. 


*Note:  For  a  full  account  of  the  life  of  this  desperate  outlaw,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  an  octavo  volume,  "Quantrill  and  His  Border  Wars," 
by  William  E.  Connelley,  Secretary  Kansas  Historical  Society,  Topeka, 
Kansas. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  387 

In  April  the  Arkansas  River  became  navigable  for 
steamers  of  light  draft  from  Little  Rock  to  Fort  Smith, 
and  the  transportation  department  of  the  Army  took 
advantage  of  the  rise  of  the  river  to  secure  as  many  boats 
as  practicable  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  up  large  quan 
tities  of  munitions  of  war  to  Fort  Smith  for  the  troops 
in  Western  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory. 

Even  with  good  navigation  of  the  river,  it  was  quite 
a  task  to  bring  up  supplies,  for  every  steamer  that  came 
up  the  river  from  Little  Rock  to  Fort  Smith  with  sup 
plies  for  the  army  had  on  board  a  detachment  of  infantry 
and  usually  two  uowitzers  or  field  pieces,  manned  by  a 
sufficient  number  of  men  to  afford  protection  against  at 
tacks  by  Southern  Partisan  bands  who  made  strenuous 
efforts  to  prevent  supplies  from  coming  up  the  river  by 
steamers  and  probably  not  a  single  boat  arrived  at  Fort 
Smith  that  had  not  encountered  their  attacks  at  favorable 
points  on  the  river,  and  most  of  the  pilot  houses  and  other 
parts  of  the  boats  had  bullet  holes  where  they  had  been 
hit ;  but  a  few  volleys  from  the  infantry  and  several  rounds 
of  shell  and  canister  from  the  guns  usually  dispersed  the 
enemy  without  damage  to  the  soldiers  or  crew.  Several 
bales  of  cotton  were  generally  placed  in  suitable  positions 
on  each  boat  for  protecting  the  infantry  detachments  and 
the  soldiers  manning  the  guns  and  the  lookouts  against 
rifle  shots  from  a  concealed  foe  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

The  Federal  troops  at  Fort  Smith  and  in  that  vicinity 
were  on  half  rations  a  good  deal  of  the  time  from  tht 
latter  part  of  winter  up  to  the  opening  of  navigation  on 
the  Arkansas  River  on  the  20th  of  April,  when  there  was 
a  good  stage  of  water  in  the  channel,  and  steamboats 
commenced  coming  up  from  Little  Rock  every  day  or  so 
heavily  laden  with  army  supplies  of  every  kind. 

At  times  there  were  as  many  as  half  a  dozen  boats  at 
the  wharf  in  a  single  day,  unloading  their  cargoes.  The 
following  named  steamers  were  running  on  the  river  be 
tween  Little  Rock  and  Fort  Smith  that  spring:  The  "Car- 


388  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

rie  Jacobs,"  "Annie  Jacobs,"  "Ad  Hines,"  "Des  Moines 
City,"  "General  Grant,"  "Chippewa,"  "J.  H.  Done," 
"Almo,"  and  "Sunny  South,"  and  by  the  latter  part  of 
June  had  brought  up  supplies  sufficient  for  an  army  of 
twelve  thousand  men  for  ten  months,  making  it  unneces 
sary  for  the  army  to  depend  on  wagon  trains  to  bring 
down  supplies  from  Fort  Scott  via  Fort  Gibson,  as  it  was 
obliged  to  do  in  the  winter. 

The  Carrie  Jacobs,  a  rather  large  boat,  brought  up 
three  hundred  tons  of  supplies  on  one  trip,  which  was 
equal  to  a  train  of  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
wagons  loaded  with  supplies  and  transported  by  mule 
power  two  hundred  miles. 

The  boats  usually  made  the  trip  from  Fort  Smith 
down  to  Little  Rock  in  two  days;  but  coming  up  from 
Little  Rock  heavily  loaded  with  supplies,  they  generally 
required  three  or  four  days.  It  was  a  genuine  satisfac 
tion  to  most  of  the  soldierjs  to  know  of  the  pouring  in  of 
large  quantities  of  supplies,  for  there  had  been  some 
grumbling  among  them  during  the  prolonged  period  of 
short  rations.  Many  of  them  were  obliged  to  spend  a 
good  part  of  their  wages  as  soldiers  to  purchase  edibles 
from  the  sutlers  and  citizens  to  satisfy  the  demands  of 
hunger,  a  feature  of  the  service  few  had  been  called  upon 
to  meet. 

The  matter  of  purchasing  a  part  of  the  ration  pressed 
harder  on  the  soldiers  of  the  infantry  regiments,  who  re 
ceived  only  thirteen  dollars  per  month  from  the  Govern 
ment,  than  upon  the  cavalry  soldiers,  who  received  that 
amount  and  each  twelve  dollars  per  month  additional  for 
the  use  and  risk  of  his  horse.  The  hardship  pressed  not 
only  upon  the  soldiers,  but  upon  the  families  of  many 
of  the  soldiers  who  had  been  receiving  from  them  nearly 
all  their  wages  after  each  pay  day. 

Up  to  the  war  Fort  Smith  was  considered  a  beautiful 
little  city  of  about  two  thousand  population.  It  had  much 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  WOT.  389 

wealth  and  refinement  of  the  kind  considered  worth  while 
in  the  South ;  but  after  the  Federal  occupation  of  the  place, 
there  was  a  steady  drifting  into  the  city  of  refugee  fami 
lies,  mostly  Union  families,  from  the  western  part  of  the 
State  south  of  the  Arkansas  River,  until  the  conditions 
were  becoming  anything  but  ideal. 

Most  of  these  families  had  a  hard  and  troubled 
existence  up  to  the  time  of  the  Federal  occupation  of  the 
country,  and  after  that  nearly  all  the  male  members  of 
families  came  into  Fort  Smith  to  enlist  in  the  Union 
army,  or  for  safety.  Many  of  their  families  were  robbed 
of  their  movable  property  by  the  Southern  partisan  bands, 
or  considered  it  unsafe  to  remain  at  their  homes,  and 
made  their  way  into  the  Federal  lines  and  outposts,  and 
finally  into  Fort  Smith. 

They  were  unable  to  bring  food  with  them,  and  very 
little  clothing,  and  the  Government  was  obliged  to  feed 
and  provide  for  them  to  prevent  them  from  starving.  The 
soldiers  were  on  half  rations  until  well  along  in  the  spring, 
and  the  additional  demand  of  these  refugee  families  for 
food  supplies  increased  the  hardships  for  all.  While  some 
Southern  families  had  moved  south  on  the  Federal  oc 
cupation  of  the  place,  very  few  vacant  houses  could  be 
found  to  house  the  refugee  Union  families  during  the 
winter  and  early  part  of  the  spring.  In  some  instances 
there  were  as  many  as  twenty-five  to  thirty  women  and 
children  in  a  .single  house  that  was  intended  to  accommo 
date  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  persons.  Where  there 
was  crowding  of  so  many  persons  in  a  house,  with  none 
of  the  modern  conveniences,  unsanitary  conditions  developed 
with  much  sickness  and  some  immorality.  It  had  been 
the  rule  of  the  Post  Commander,  to  whom  all  reports  of 
unsanitary  conditions  and  suffering  of  refugee  families 
were  made,  to  send  many  of  these  families  north  to  Fort 
Scott  with  the  returning  wagon  trains  which  had  been 
bringing  down  supplies  for  the  troops. 


390  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

But  now  that  the  river  was  opened  to  navigation  and 
steamboats  were  steadily  bringing  up  supplies  for  the 
army,  and  returning  to  Little  Rock  without  cargoes,  or 
very  small  cargoes,  many  of  these  refugee  families  were 
sent  to  Little  Rock  and  to  points  as  far  north  as  Cairo  and 
St.  Louis,  which  relieved  the  situation  to  some  extent. 
There  was  no  effort  made,  however,  to  send  away  the 
families  of  the  Arkansas  Union  soldiers  who  had  come 
into  the  different  posts  for  protection,  for  the  soldiers 
were  generally  able  to  provide  for  their  families,  and 
had  opportunities  of  seeing  them  at  intervals,  and  in  some 
instances  daily,  particularly  where  the  family  of  the  sol 
dier  was  at  the  post  where  he  was  stationed.  It  was  the 
policy  of  the  Department  Commander  to  have  an  Arkansas 
Union  regiment,  or  at  least  a  battalion  of  one,  stationed 
at  the  different  posts  in  the  territory  occupied  by  the 
Federal  forces,  and  if  the  families  of  the  soldiers  could 
not  stay  at  home,  generally  came  to  them  at  those  posts. 

After  the  failure  of  the  Red  River  campaign,  however, 
and  the  retirement  of  General  Steele's  army  from  the 
Camden  expedition  to  Little  Rock,  it  became  more  difficult 
for  boats  to  ascend  the  river  to  Fort  Smith,  for  General 
Price,  commanding  the  District  of  Arkansas,  was  then 
able  to  send  heavy  forces  with  artillery  to  different  points 
on  the  river  between  that  place  and  Little  Rock  to  ob 
struct  navigation;  but  also  to  the  north  side  of  the  river 
to  Upper  White  River,  to  interrupt  Steele's  communication 
with  Memphis  and  the  North. 

The  march  of  General  Thayer's  Frontier  Division  of 
the  Seventh  Army  Corps  from  Little  Rock  to  Fort  Smith 
held  back  the  immediate  advance  of  large  Confederate 
forces  to  the  Arkansas  below  that  place,  for  the  reason 
that  General  Maxey,  who  had  relinquished  command  of  his 
division  in  the  operations  against  General  Steele,  had  re 
turned  and  resumed  command  of  the  District  of  the  In 
dian  Territory,  and  was  concentrating  his  available  forces 
against  Fort  Smith  in  the  hope  of  capturing  the  Federal 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  391 

forces  there  under  Colonel  Judson  before  the  arrival  of 
Thayer.  In  the  race  Thayer  arrived  a  day  or  so  before 
Maxey's  forces  under  Cooper  were  ready  to  make  the  at 
tack. 

Large  quantities  of  supplies  had  arrived  at  Fort  Smith 
by  steamers  before  the  arrival  of  Thayer,  and  as  he 
marched  up  the  river,  he  strengthened  his  posts  at  Dar- 
danelle  and  at  other  points  and  was  able  to  keep  the  river 
open  to  navigation  for  army  supplies,  with  a  few  intervals, 
during  the  spring  and  part  of  the  summer.  Only  a  few 
times  were  steamers  held  up  at  Little  Rock  on  account  of 
low  water  in  the  river. 

As  the  Confederate  forces  were  now  holding  no  place 
of  particular  importance  north  of  Red  River,  except  per 
haps  Camden,  the  Confederate  Generals  allowed  their 
forces  to  operate  in  relatively  small  detachments  over 
large  areas  to  the  north,  and  many  of  Price's  Missourians 
filtered  through  the  Federal  lines  to  their  homes  in  Mis 
souri,  where  they  either  gave  themselves  up  to  Federal 
post  commanders  and  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
Government,  or  endeavored  to  stay  in  the  country  by 
hiding  out  until  the  Confederate  army  should  return  and 
occupy  the  State,  which  their  leaders  had  promised  them 
it  would  do.  Besides,  many  of  these  returning  parties 
claimed  to  be  on  recruiting  service  for  the  Southern 
armies,  and  others  were  members  of  Southern  partisan 
bands  and  marauders.  These  Confederate  detachments 
and  Southern  partisan  bands,  particularly  those  of  Ar 
kansas,  kept  the  Federal  forces  at  posts  on  the  Arkansas 
very  busy  in  protecting  navigation  on  the  river  to  Fort 
Smith;  but  the  main  efforts  of  General  Maxey  were  di 
rected  to  concentrating  his  forces  against  that  place  to 
drive  the  Federal  forces  out  and  occupy  it,  which  would 
give  him  a  prestige  no  other  Confederate  leader  could 
boast  in  recent  months. 


392  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

He  knew  that  his  success  would  hearten  the  Southern 
Indian  forces  to  renewed  activity  and  enable  him  to  take 
the  offensive  north  of  the  Arkansas,  capture  Fort  Gibson 
and  drive  the  Federal  forces  back  to  Southern  Kansas, 
but  if  he  entertained  this  ambition,  it  was  never  realized. 


The  Unidn  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  393 

CHAPTER  XXII 

CONFEDERATES  CAPTURE  STEAMER  WITH 
SUPPLIES 

The  battle  of  Poison  Spring  had  shown  General  Maxey 
what  desperate  resistance  a  small  detachment  of  Federal 
troops  could  make  when  attacked  by  overwhelming,  vastly 
superior  numbers,  even  when  burdened  with  the  defense 
of  a  large  train,  which  separated  the  different  units  and 
prevented  them  from  fighting  to  the  best  advantage.  He 
had  seen  how  these  troops  when  the  Confederates  had 
formed  directly  across  their  line  of  retreat  had  cut  their 
way  through  by  well  directed  volleys  from  their  rifles 
into  the  Confederate  ranks  and  had  continued  their  march 
without  the  loss  of  prisoners.  On  resuming  command  of 
his  district  he  knew  he  would  have  the  same  troops  to 
face  that  he  fought  at  Poison  Spring,  only  more  of  them, 
in  the  campaign  he  was  preparing  for  the  capture  of 
Fort  Smith,  and  the  control  of  the  Arkansas  River,  which 
admonished  him  to  direct  the  movements  of  his  forces 
with  much  caution. 

He  seems  to  have  started  out  in  his  campaign  with 
the  assumption  that  Generals  Smith  and  Price  had  cap 
tured  or  destroyed  General  Steele's  army  on  its  retreat 
from  Camden  to  Little  Rock,  and  captured  the  latter  place, 
whereas  if  he  had  been  correctly  informed  he  would  have 
known  that  the  combined  Confederate  forces  from  Ar 
kansas  and  Louisiana,  under  the  immediate  command  of 
Generals  Smith  and  Price,  after  overtaking  the  rear  of 
General  Steele  at  Saline  River,  were,  after  desperate 
fighting,  repulsed  with  heavy  losses  in  the  battle  of 
Jenkins  Ferry,  and  unable  to  continue  the  pursuit,  allowing 
the  Federal  forces  to  retire  leisurely  to  Little  Rock,  with 
out  the  loss  of  any  of  their  equipment  by  capture. 

In  making  known  to  the  Confederate  authorities  his 
plans  of  the  campaign,  he  spoke  of  the  capture  of  Fort 
Smith  and  Fort  Gibson  as  if  he  had  only  to  march  upon 
them  and  take  possession,  and  was  only  waiting  for  in- 


394  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

formation  of  the  destruction  of  General  Steele's  army, 
and  the  Confederate  occupation  of  Little  Rock  and  the 
lower  Arkansas,  whereas  he  had  no  possible  chance  of 
capturing  Fort  Smith  or  Fort  Gibson  with  the  forces  he 
then  had  under  his  command  unless  these  forces  should  put 
up  a  better  fight  than  they  had  to  their  credit  in  any 
past  campaign  in  that  section. 

During  the  months  of  April,  May  and  June  the  Ar 
kansas  was  navigable  for  steamers  from  Little  Rock  to 
Fort  Smith  most  of  the  time  and  large  quantities  of  sup 
plies  were  brought  up  for  the  army  estimated  to  be  suf 
ficient  for  a  period  of  four  or  five  months  at  least,  with 
additional  troops  drawn  in  from  outposts,  which  it  was 
thought  would  give  time  to  determine  the  success  or  fail 
ure  of  General  Sherman's  operations  in  his  advance  upon 
Atlanta  from  Chattanooga,  a  movement  that  had  re 
quired  for  its  support,  the  withdrawal  of  a  large  num 
ber  of  troops  from  the  West  Mississippi  region.  Indeed 
he  took  with  him  for  operations  in  that  campaign,  all  the 
troops  that  could  be  spared  from  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
and  General  Grant,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Armies, 
did  not  desire  any  immediate  aggressive  operations  in  the 
Departments  of  the  Gulf  or  Arkansas,  after  the  armies  of 
General  Banks  and  General  Steele  retired  to  positions  that 
would  enable  them  to  prevent  interruption  of  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi  or  the  Arkansas  River;  the  line  of  the 
Arkansas  was  to  be  held  by  the  Federal  forces  even  if  they 
were  on  the  defensive. 

General  Grant  and  the  War  Department  were  not 
satisfied  with  General  Banks'  Red  River  campaign.  They 
believed  that  his  defeat  and  disaster  were  brought  about 
by  scattering  his  troops  too  much,  instead  of  using  them 
en  masse  against  the  enemy,  and  while  his  army  was  at 
Alexandria  assisting  the  Gunboat  Fleet  under  Admiral 
Porter  to  pass  over  the  Falls  of  Red  River  at  that  place, 
by  direction  of  the  President,  General  E.  R.  S.  Canby 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  395 

was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Military  Division  of 
West  Mississippi,  which  included  the  Departments  of  the 
Gulf  and  Arkansas,  with  large  discretionary  powers,  speci 
fying,  however,  that  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  must 
be  kept  open  and  the  line  of  Arkansas  held,  which  meant 
that  aggressive  operations  in  Arkansas  would  be  suspended 
for  the  present. 

In  the  recent  Departmental  changes,  the  Indian  Terri 
tory  was  included  in  the  Department  of  Arkansas,  where 
it  naturally  belonged,  particularly  since  the  Arkansas 
Valley  was  controlled  by  the  Federal  forces,  and  all  opera 
tions  in  the  Indian  country  would  now  be  conducted  from 
Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Gibson,  and  supplies  for  the  troops 
brought  up  the  river  from  Little  Rock,  while  the  river 
was  in  navigable  condition  for  steamers. 

From  about  the  middle  of  April  to  the  tenth  of  May, 
Colonel  W.  P.  Adair,  with  325  mounted  men  of  the  First 
and  Second  Cherokee  Regiments  of  Colonel  Watie's  Bri 
gade  of  Southern  Indians,  managed  to  cross  the  Arkansas 
below  Fort  Gibson  and  made  a  raid  up  through  the  Chero 
kee  Nation  as  far  north  as  Maysville  and  Cowskin  Prairie, 
causing  a  good  deal  of  excitement  among  the  loyal  Indians 
and  the  people  of  Southern  Kansas,  Southwest  Missouri 
and  Northwest  Arkansas,  for  definite  information  could 
not  be  secured  as  to  what  point,  if  any,  he  proposed  to 
attack. 

General  John  B.  Sanborn,  commanding  the  District 
of  Southwest  Missouri,  Springfield,  had  his  scouts  on  the 
trail  of  the  Southern  Indians,  which  enabled  him  to  re 
port  their  movements  from  day  to  day  until  they  turned 
back  south.  The  General  also  sent  Major  John  Cosgrove 
with  a  detachment  of  eighty  men  of  the  Eighth  Missouri 
State  Militia  Cavalry,  to  follow  the  trail  of  Colonel  Adair 
until  he  came  up  with  and  engaged  him,  to  ascertain  his 
strength  and  intentions;  but  when  the  Major  arrived  at 
the  place  where  the  wily  Indian  was  reported  to  be  en- 


396  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

camped,  he  was  gone,  and  could  not  be  overtaken,  for  he 
had  crossed  to  the  west  side  of  Grand  River  and  was 
moving  rapidly  south  and  crossed  the  Arkansas  River 
above  Fort  Gibson  and  reported  to  Colonel  Watie,  nearly 
all  his  men  having  deserted  or  left  him  in  the  Cherokee 
Nation. 

These  deserters  in  parties  of  thirty  to  forty  in  dif 
ferent  neighborhoods  in  the  Cherokee  Nation  gave  the 
loyal  Indians  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  for  there  were 
frequent  clashes  between  them  with  many  fatal  results, 
which  were  reported  to  headquarters  at  Fort  Gibson, 
Fayetteville  and  Neosho,  and  the  sending  of  mounted  de 
tachments  of  soldiers  to  the  disturbed  localities  for  the 
purpose  of  punishing  the  enemy  and  restoring  of  tran 
quillity.  In  a  scout  from  Neosho,  Major  Milton  Burch,  com 
manding  a  detachment  of  the  Eighth  Missouri  State  Militia 
Cavalry,  reported  that  he  attacked  a  party  of  about  thirty 
of  the  Southern  Indian  faction  of  Colonel  Adair's  com 
mand  in  the  Spavina  Hills  region,  and  killed  two,  wounded 
seven,  and  dispersed  the  others,  capturing  their  supplies 
and  equipments. 

The  Confederate  authorities  had  not  as  yet  had  much 
experience  in  looking  after  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  the 
refugee  Indian  families  who  had  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
South  and  had  left  their  homes  and  property  to  become 
exiles  among  tribes  with  whom  they  had  nothing  in  com 
mon.  Those  authorities  had  made  many  promises  that 
they  would  not  permit  the  Federal  forces  to  invade  the 
Indian  country;  that  if  they  should  make  an  invasion,  it 
would  be  only  temporary,  for  the  Confederate  forces  would 
return  and  drive  them  out  and  punish  the  traitor  Indians. 
In  spite  of  these  promises  the  Confederate  forces  had 
not  been  able  to  occupy  the  Indian  country  north  of  the 
Arkansas  for  more  than  a  year,  and  perhaps  most  of  the 
families  of  the  Southern  Indian  soldiers  of  that  region 
had  remained  at  their  homes.  It  was  found  the  Southern 
Indian  soldiers,  like  the  Southern  white  soldiers  of  Mis- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War.  397 

souri  who  had  been  taken  from  their  homes  and  country 
by  army  service  to  some  other  part  of  the  country  where 
they  were  strangers,  gradually  had  an  intense  longing  to 
return  to  their  families  and  homes,  and  their  officers 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  had  similar  desires  and 
the  homing  instinct  found  expressions  in  raids  on  large 
and  small  scales  over  hundreds  of  miles  through  hostile 
territory,  or  territory  occupied  by  Federal  forces,  when, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  commanding  officers  of  such  ex 
peditions  had  little  hope  of  accomplishing  anything  worth 
while  commensurate  with  the  cost  of  blood  and  treasure 
involved. 

Indeed,  many  officers  commanding  large  forces 
promised  their  soldiers  who  were  far  away  from  their 
homes  that  they  would  lead  them  back  to  their  own 
country  in  a  great  expedition  after  the  completion  of  a 
campaign,  and  where  the  soldiers  and  officers  were  willing 
to  take  the  desperate  chances  of  facing  disaster,  the  com 
manding  general  could  not  very  well  veto  the  promises, 
even  when  to  grant  them  was  against  his  judgment,  for 
he  saw  refusal  meant  wholesale  desertions,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  weigh  one  evil  against  the  other.  Such  ex 
peditions  of  southern  forces  had  been  made  into  Missouri 
in  the  summer  of  1862-3. 

In  the  Federal  army  a  large  percentage  of  the  men 
with  families,  and  others  who  had  become  homesick, 
wounded  men  and  men  who  were  sick  in  hospitals,  were 
given  furloughs  nearly  every  year,  for  thirty,  sixty  and 
ninety  days,  all  of  which  relieved  the  pressure  of  any 
particular  army  wishing  to  return  home  en  masse.  Even 
with  the  raiding  expeditions  arranged  to  satisfy  the  hom 
ing  instinct  of  the  Southern  soldiers  from  Missouri,  and 
the  Southern  Indian  soldiers  from  the  Cherokee  Nation, 
thousands  of  Missouri  soldiers  and  hundreds  of  Cherokee 
Indian  soldiers  of  the  Confederate  army  filtered  through 


398  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

the  Federal  lines  and  returned  to  their  homes,  some  as 
deserters,  some  having  furloughs,  and  some  having  re 
cruiting  commissions;  but  nearly  all  bound  together  in 
any  neighborhood  by  ties  of  comradeship  and  interest  in 
the  Confederate  cause. 

In  the  Cherokee  Nation  where  there  were  no  towns  to 
speak  of,  and  where  there  was  little  traveling  of  individuals 
from  place  to  place,  except  the  members  of  soldiers'  fami 
lies  visiting  them  at  Fort  Gibson,  these  deserters,  fur- 
loughed  soldiers,  and  recruiting  parties  might  live  in 
isolated  localities  undisturbed  for  many  weeks  by  notify 
ing  each  other  when  any  one  of  them  heard  of  common 
danger  ahead,  as  the  approach  of  a  Federal  scouting  de 
tachment  or  a  general  movement  to  round  up  and  clear 
out  all  Confederates  in  the  vicinity. 

General  Maxey's  participation  with  the  Choctaw  In 
dian  Brigade  and  the  Texas  troops  of  his  district  in  the 
operations  against  General  Steele,  and  his  success  in  the 
battle  of  Poison  Spring,  gave  him  considerable  prestige 
when  he  returned  to  his  headquarters  at  Fort  Towson  and 
resumed  command  of  the  District  of  the  Indian  Territory, 
and  he  used  that  prestige  for  all  it  was  worth  in  his 
efforts  to  rally  the  demoralized  factions  of  the  Creeks 
and  Cherokees.  He  at  once  set  about  to  improve  his 
transportation  system,  which  he  complained  was  entirely 
inadequate  and  crippled  his  operations  in  the  field;  that 
the  subsistence  and  quartermaster  supplies  for  his  troops 
had  to  be  brought  from  Texas,  and  that  he  was  unable 
to  secure  wagon  transportation  for  them,  and  thought  an 
ox  train  of  thirty  to  forty  wagons  would  be  of  great 
service  to  him.  He  lauded  the  Choctaw  Brigade  for  their 
achievement  at  the  battle  of  Poison  Spring  and  the  honor 
able  and  important  part  they  took  in  the  Camden  cam 
paign,  which  appealed  to  their  soldierly  pride,  and  in  a 
spirit  of  emulation,  increased  the  war-like  ardor  of  the 
Creeks  and  Cherokees,  who  after  many  defeats  had 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  399 

become  quite  timid  in  facing  the  Union  Indian  and  white 
soldiers  who  had  been  thrown  against  them  by  Blunt 
and  Phillips,  the  last  two  years.  He  exaggerated  the 
disasters  of  the  Union  army  in  the  Red  River  and  Cam- 
den  expeditions,  and  endeavored  to  impress  upon  the  troops 
and  officers  of  his  district  that  the  Federal  forces  were 
ready  to  evacuate  Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Gibson  and  leave 
the  Arkansas  Valley,  and  that  his  troops  would  have 
little  else  to  do  than  to  march  in  and  occupy  those  posts 
and  the  country  and  gratify  their  war-like  spirit  in  chas 
ing  the  fleeing  Federals  north  to  Southern  Kansas.  Feel 
ing  that  he  had  infused  a  spirit  of  emulation  in  his  troops 
who  had  not  participated  in  the  glorious  achievements 
of  defeating  the  Federal  forces  in  the  Camden  expedition, 
to  join  in  an  enterprise  that  would  bring  them  a  greater 
and  more  glorious  success  than  that,  he  directed  General 
Cooper  to  move  with  his  division  from  Boggy  Depot  to 
near  Northfork,  on  the  Canadian,  where  he  arrived  the 
middle  of  May,  his  position  being  about  equally  distant 
from  Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Gibson. 

About  this  time  General  Maxey  received  a  dispatch 
from  his  Department  Commander  stating  that  he  had 
reliable  reports  announcing  that  General  Thayer's  Frontier 
Division  of  General  Steele's  army  had  left  Little  Rock 
and  crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  except  part  of 
his  cavalry  on  the  south  side,  and  were  on  the  march  to 
Fort  Smith,  and  that  it  would  be  well  to  ascertain  the 
truth  of  the  report  before  making  any  movements  that 
would  endanger  his  command.  In  a  few  days  he  received 
reports  from  his  own  scouts  that  General  Thayer  had 
arrived  at  Fort  Smith  with  his  division,  and  that  the 
fortifications  were  nearly  completed,  which  caused  him  to 
give  up  the  proposed  attack,  and  his  forces  retired  in  the 
direction  of  their  depots,  after  sending  a  heavy  scout  to 
the  vicinity  of  Fort  Smith. 

Colonel  Judson,  commanding  the  Federal  forces  at 
Fort  Smith,  concentrated  the  troops  of  his  district  at 


400  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

that  place,  on  hearing  of  the  preparations  of  the  Con 
federate  commander  for  making  the  attack,  and  strength 
ened  his  fortifications,  and  was  ready  to  receive  them, 
reported  to  be  advancing  8,000  strong;  but  on  the  same 
day  of  the  reported  advance  of  the  Confederates  the 
Colonel  received  a  dispatch  from  General  Thayer  stating 
that  his  troops  would  commence  arriving  at  Fort  Smith 
the  next  day  by  noon,  which  relieved  the  tension  of 
preparing  to  fight  a  vastly  superior  force.  Having  made 
preparations  for  the  attack  and  moved  up  to  within  an 
easy  day's  march  of  the  Federal  position  and  then  to 
retire  without  a  fight,  General  Maxey  felt  that  an  ex 
planation  was  due  his  troops  and  supporters,  and  gave  out 
to  them  that  Fort  Smith  had  received  large  re-enforce 
ments,  mostly  of  infantry,  which  had  caused  him  to  change 
his  plans. 

His  forces  were  nearly  all  cavalry.  The  spring  had 
been  favorable  for  producing  good  grass  in  the  Indian 
country,  so  that  the  ponies  of  his  Indian  soldiers  and 
the  Mustangs  of  his  Texas  troops  were  in  fairly  good 
condition,  and  enabled  him  to  assume  a  threatening  atti 
tude  towards  both  Fort  Gibson  and  Fort  Smith,  and  as 
General  Thayer's  policy  was  not  by  any  means  aggressive,, 
the  Confederates  became  bolder  as  the  season  advanced. 

Having  his  headquarters  near  Northfork,  about  fifty 
miles  west  of  Fort  Smith,  General  Cooper  was  instructed 
to  keep  out  mounted  scouting  detachments  in  the  direc 
tion  of  that  post  and  Fort  Gibson  to  watch  the  move 
ment  of  the  Federal  troops  from  those  places;  to  have 
his  scouts  and  spies  visit  Fort  Smith  in  particular,  to 
interview  Southern  sympathizers  who  were  familiar  with 
everything  taking  place  there,  and  secure  accurate  in 
formation  from  them  of  the  strength,  movements  and 
intentions  of  the  Federal  forces  at  that  post,  and  to  re 
port  the  information  obtained  as  early  as  practicable  to 
Confederate  headquarters. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.          401 

Most  of  the  families  of  Fort  Smith  were  Southern 
sympathizers  and  one  or  more  members  of  them  were 
in  the  Southern  army,  and  as  many  Federal  officers  and 
soldiers  boarded  in  many  of  these  families,  there  was  no 
difficulty  in  Confederate  scouts  and  spies  getting  first 
hand  information  in  regard  to  troop  movements  and  of  the 
arrival  and  departure  of  steamboats  bringing  up  supplies 
for  the  army  and  returning  down  the  river  with  cargoes 
of  cotton  and  refugee  passengers  destined  for  points  in 
Illinois  or  Missouri,  where  they  could  be  provide'd  for  by 
the  Government  without  drawing  on  the  supplies  needed 
by  the  troops. 

While  there  had  been  fairly  good  navigation  of  the 
river  during  the  spring,  permitting  boats  to  come  up  to 
Fort  Smith,  there  had  not  been  a  sufficient  rise  to  allow 
even  the  lightest  draft  steamers  that  had  been  up  to  pass 
over  Webber's  Falls,  thirty-five  miles  above,  to  Fort  Gib 
son  with  supplies  for  the  troops  at  that  post  on  more  than 
one  or  two  occasions. 

About  the  middle  of  June  there  came  another  rise  in 
the  Arkansas  River  when  it  was  thought  there  was  a  suf 
ficient  volume  of  water  in  the  channel  to  allow  a  boat 
with  a  cargo  of  supplies  to  pass  over  the  Falls  and  reach 
Fort  Gibson.  The  steam  ferry  boat,  J.  R.  Williams,  which 
was  kept  at  Fort  Smith  for  the  purpose  of  ferrying  troops 
and  wagon  trains  over  the  river  at  that  place,  and  for 
furnishing  posts  up  and  down  the  river  with  supplies,  was 
loaded  with  a  cargo  of  commissary  and  quartermaster  sup 
plies  and  also  with  some  sutler's  goods  for  the  troops  at 
Fort  Gibson,  and  placed  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  G.  W. 
Houston,  quartermaster  of  the  Fourteenth  Kansas  Cavalry, 
and  the  captain  of  the  boat,  to  proceed  up  the  river  to 
her  destination. 

The  escort  to  the  boat  consisted  of  twenty-six  men 
of  the  Twelfth  Kansas  Infantry,  under  Lieutenant  H.  A.  B. 
Cook.  But  there  was  no  cavalry  force  sent  out  from  Fort 
Smith  up  the  south  side  of  the  river  to  reconnoiter  the 


402  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

country  as  a  precautionary  measure  to  guard  against  the 
boat  being  fired  upon  by  a  hostile  force  at  some  point 
where  the  channel  approached  near  the  south  bank.  It 
had  been  known  to  General  Thayer  for  several  weeks  prior 
to  the  boat  leaving  Fort  Smith,  that  General  Cooper  had 
been  operating  in  the  vicinity  of  Northfork  and  Upper 
Poteau  Valley,  within  forty  to  fifty  miles  of  the  Federal 
position,  and  that  the  small  guard  of  26  men  would  be 
almost  helpless  against  an  attack  made  with  artillery, 
supported  by  a  large  concealed  force  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  only  a  few  yards  distant.  His  Chief  of  Scouts, 
Captain  Tough,  reported  almost  daily  the  movements  of 
the  enemy  on  his  west  and  southwest  fronts,  and  he  had 
cavalry  to  send  out  to  make  reconnoissances  to  verify  the 
reports  of  his  scouts;  but  he  knew,  and  most  of  his 
subordinates  knew,  that  he  had  no  outposts  south  of  the 
Arkansas  between  Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Gibson;  that  the 
country  was  open  and  the  river  could  be  easily  approached 
by  an  enemy  at  almost  any  place  for  a  distance  of  forty 
to  fifty  miles.  Since  General  Maxey  had  been  able  to 
take  the  offensive,  no  Federal  outposts  could,  with  safety, 
be  kept  out  more  than  ten  to  fifteen  miles  from  Fort 
Smith  south  of  the  Arkansas,  or  in  the  direction  of 
Boggy  Depot.  They  would  have  been  in  constant  danger 
of  capture,  or  cut  off  from  their  commands,  and  as  Colonel 
Phillips  had  not  yet  remounted  his  command,  for  which 
he  was  given  authority  by  the  War  Department,  he  was 
unable  to  do  much  scouting  south  of  the  Arkansas ;  besides 
the  river  above  and  below  Fort  Gibson  had  for  some  time 
been  past  fording,  making  it  unsafe  for  scouting  detach 
ments  to  be  caught  on  the  south  side. 

There  was  no  secrecy  in  loading  and  dispatching  the 
boat  up  the  river  to  Fort  Gibson  with  her  cargo  of 
supplies,  and  whether  some  of  the  Southern  spies  in  Fort 
Smith  hastened  with  information  of  her  departure  to 
Colonel  Watie,  commanding  the  Southern  Cherokees  in  the 
vicinity  of  Northfork,  or  not,  he  was  advised  of  her  de- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  403 

parture  and  marched  at  once  with  his  available  force  and 
three  pieces  of  artillery  to  a  point  on  the  river  where  he 
knew  that  the  channel  approached  very  near  the  south 
bank  overlooked  by  a  bluff  and  posted  his  men  and  guns 
in  a  concealed  position,  with  scouts  several  miles  below 
to  give  him  notice  the  moment  the  steamer  came  in  sight. 
On  leaving  Fort  Smith,  Lieutenant  Cook  cautioned 
his  men  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout,  as  they  might  be  fired 
upon  at  any  moment  by  guerrillas  concealed  at  any  of 
the  favorable  points  for  making  an  attack  along  the 
river.  His  men  realized  the  necessity  for  vigilance  and 
cheerfully  held  themselves  in  readiness  to  execute  every 
order  given.  The  boat  steamed  along  up  the  river  about 
fifty  miles  until  it  came  to  a  great  bend  in  the  river  to 
the  south  where  the  channel  approached  near  the  south 
bank.  At  this  point,  which  was  about  five  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Canadian,  the  Arkansas  River  was 
about  350  yards  wide,  and  the  boat  could  not  pass  it  with 
out  passing  near  the  south  shore.  Having  accurate  in 
formation  of  the  movements  of  the  boat,  and  having  placed 
his  men  and  guns  in  concealed  positions,  Colonel  Watie 
selected  this  point,  known  as  Pleasant  Bluff,  for  making 
the  attack.  He  knew  it  was  a  good  position  to  command 
the  river  by  artillery.  He  had  his  three  pieces  masked 
behind  clusters  of  bushes  about  one  hundred  yards  apart 
on  the  bluff  overlooking  the  river,  and  when  the  boat  came 
up  opposite  the  center  gun,  the  three  pieces  opened  a 
direct  and  cross-fire  upon  it,  belching  forth  fire  and  smoke 
and  shot  and  shell  with  a  terrific  roar.  Almost  at  the 
same  instant,  the  Southern  Indians  also  discharged  a 
heavy  volley  of  musketry  from  their  concealed  positions 
on  shore,  not  one  of  whom  could  be  seen  by  the  officers 
and  men  on  the  boat,  who  were  taken  completely  by  sur 
prise.  They  knew  nothing  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy 
until  they  heard  the  roar  of  the  artillery  and  musketry 
and  saw  the  thick  clouds  of  smoke  arising  from  the  dis 
charge  of  cannon  and  small  arms.  They  had  no  time  to 


404  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

meditate  about  the  situation,  for  in  another  moment  a 
cannon  ball  crashed  into  the  boat,  but  above  the  water 
line  and  without  doing  any  damage  to  the  machinery, 
and  then  Lieutenant  Cook  ordered  his  men  to  take  posi 
tions  behind  barrels  and  boxes  and  return  the  fire  with  as 
much  precision  as  possible,  and  while  it  did  not  likely  do 
the  Confederates  much  damage,  it  had  the  effect  of  keep 
ing  them,  at  long  range  and  from  showing  themselves  in 
force  in  the  open.  After  getting  the  range  of  the  boat, 
almost  every  shot  fired  from  the  Confederate  guns  struck 
her,  so  that  in  a  short  time  she  was  so  badly  disabled  as 
to  be  unmanageable.  One  of  the  first  shots  fired  by  the 
hostile  guns  struck  the  smoke  stack  about  four  feet 
above  the  cabin  floor,  and  a  second  shot  hit  the  pilot  house, 
knocking  most  of  it  away,  and  a  third  shot  struck  the 
boiler,  or  some  of  the  steam  pipes,  which  released  the 
steam  with  an  almost  deafening  sound.  A  dense  volume 
of  steam  instantly  enveloped  the  boat  so  that  those  on 
board  for  a  few  moments  could  see  nothing  on  deck  or  on 
shore,  with  the  boat  helplessly  drifting. 

When  the  Confederates  heard  the  explosion  and  saw 
the  cloud  of  steam  burst  forth  enveloping  the  boat,  they 
at  once  rent  the  air  with  triumphant  shouts  along  their 
line,  but  continued  the  artillery  fire  with  greater  energy, 
thinking  that  she  would  soon  surrender,  or  that  a  lucky 
shot  would  disable  her. 

While  the  boat  was  thus  enveloped  with  steam,  im 
penetrable  to  vision  and  soon  disabled,  the  soldiers  on 
board  could  not  keep  up  their  fire  with  advantage,  and 
Lieutenant  Cook  went  to  the  captain  to  ascertain  the 
extent  of  the  damage  to  her  machinery,  and  he  replied 
that  he  did  not  know.  The  Lieutenant  then  ordered  the 
engineer  to  examine  her  machinery,  and  he  did  so  and  re 
turned  and  reported  her  disabled;  but  while  the  examina 
tion  and  report  were  being  made  and  before  her  machin 
ery  stopped  working,  the  pilot  ran  her  on  a  sand  bar  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river  within  a  few  yards  of  the  shore 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  405 

where  the  water  was  quite  shallow.  Finding  that  the  boat 
could  not  be  moved  up  or  down  the  river  and  that  she  was 
a  target  for  the  Confederate  guns  and  small  arms,  Lieu 
tenant  Cook  took  his  men  off  her  and  waded  to  the  north 
shore,  leaving  Lieutenant  Houston  and  the  captain  on 
board. 

Immediately  after  reaching  the  shore,  the  Lieutenant 
formed  his  men  behind  a  sand  bar,  lying  down  in  such 
position  as  to  command  the  boat,  should  any  of  the 
enemy  attempt  to  board  her  to  take  her  to  the  south  side 
or  set  her  on  fire.  His  plan  of  keeping  the  boat  and  her 
cargo  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  was,  how 
ever,  defeated,  for,  to  his  great  astonishment  and  morti 
fication,  he  saw,  in  a  few  moments  after  he  had  dis 
embarked  his  men,  Lieutenant  Houston  and  the  Captain  of 
the  boat  and  one  of  her  crew  going  over  to  the  enemy  in  a 
yawl.  Their  conduct  was  unaccountable  and  reprehensible 
in  the  judgment  of  eye-witnesses  who  related  the  story 
of  the  loss  of  the  boat  and  her  cargo.  They  thought  it 
was  due  to  cowardice  or  treachery,  for  they  were  not  more 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy  than  Lieutenant  Cook 
and  his  men;  besides  they  could  have  come  on  shore  with 
him.  As  the  Lieutenant  could  see  no  prospect  of  saving 
the  boat  and  her  cargo,  with  twenty  of  his  men  he  started 
for  Fort  Smith,  arriving  at  that  place  the  next  day  and 
reported  to  the  General  the  abandonment  of  the  boat  and 
all  that  had  taken  place  up  to  the  time  he  left.  Three  or 
four  of  his  men,  however,  who  became  separated  from 
him,  went  to  Mackey's  Salt  Works  in  the  Cherokee  Nation, 
about  ten  miles  distant,  where  Colonel  John  Ritchie  was 
stationed  with  the  Second  Union  Indian  Regiment,  and 
related  to  him  their  version  in  regard  to  the  abandonment 
of  the  boat,  and  as  he  had  heard  distinctly  the  cannonad 
ing,  he  was  interested  in  hearing  their  full  story. 

He  at  once  collected  about  two  hundred  of  his  war 
riors  and  hastened  to  the  point  where  the  boat  waa 
represented  to  have  been  left,  with  the  view  of  holding  it 


406  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  Wat 

if  it  had  not  been  taken  to  the  south  side  before  he  ar 
rived.  It  was  late  in  the  day,  however,  when  the  soldiers 
arrived  at  his  camp  and  reported,  so  he  did  not  reach  the 
point  where  the  boat  was  abandoned  until  the  next  morn 
ing,  and  he  then  found  that  it  had  been  taken  over  to  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  and  that  the  enemy  were  un 
loading  it  on  a  sand  bar  and  preparing  to  take  the  sup 
plies  away.  He  carefully  scanned  the  scene  of  the  South 
ern  Indians  unloading  the  cargo  and  apparently  jubilant 
over  their  prize,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  boat 
and  as  much  of  her  cargo  as  had  been  taken  off  and  piled 
up  on  the  sand  bar  were  within  range  of  some  of  his  best 
small  arms,  and  at  once  ordered  his  Indian  soldiers  to 
open  fire  upon  the  enemy  along  the  opposite  shore  and 
any  who  came  down  on  the  sand  bar  to  remove  the  stores 
that  had  been  taken  off  and  piled  up. 

Shortly  after  Colonel  Ritchie's  Indian  soldiers  opened 
fire  upon  the  enemy  unloading  the  boat  and  removing  the 
supplies  and  goods  piled  up  on  the  sand  bar,  they  set  fire  to 
it,  unfastened  it  from  its  mooring,  and  it  drifted  off  down 
the  river  enveloped  in  flames.  The  river  continued  to  rise 
until  it  covered  the  sand  bar  several  feet  where  the  boat's 
cargo  had  been  unloaded,  and  in  a  day  or  so  barrels  and 
boxes  of  commissary  supplies  were  seen  floating  in  the 
river  past  Fort  Smith,  the  Southern  Indians  having  been 
able  to  secure  and  carry  away  only  a  small  part  of  the 
cargo.  They  had  no  wagons  along  with  the  expedition  and 
took  only  so  much  of  the  supplies  as  they  could  carry 
off  on  their  ponies.  There  were  some  sutler's  goods  on 
the  boat,  however,  which  the  Southern  Indians  took  and 
with  which  they  almost  loaded  themselves  down,  and  im 
mediately  started  for  their  homes  with  their  booty,  almost 
breaking  up  Watie's  command,  as  he  stated  in  his  report 
of  the  affair. 

Lieutenant  Cook  was  blamed  for  not  keeping  his  men 
together  on  shore  within  range  of  the  boat,  for  if  he  had 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  407 

done  so,  it  was  thought  he  could  have  prevented  the  enemy 
from  coming  over  to  her  by  a  careful  fire  directed  upon 
any  one  attempting  to  approach  her  in  the  small  boat 
which  Lieutenant  Houston  and  the  Captain  had  taken  to 
the  south  side  when  they  went  over. 

As  soon  as  information  reached  Fort  Smith  of  the  at 
tack  on  the  boat,  General  Thayer  directed  Colonel  S.  J. 
Crawford,  Second  Kansas  Colored  Infantry,  to  take  part 
of  that  regiment  and  part  of  the  Eleventh  U.  S.  Colored 
Infantry,  in  all  about  seven  hundred  men,  and  a  section  of 
artillery,  and  to  march  as  rapidly  as  practicable  to  the 
point  where  the  boat  was  attacked,  and  if  possible,  drive 
the  enemy  off  before  they  could  get  away  with  the  sup 
plies. 

When  the  Colonel  arrived  in  the  vicinity  where  the 
boat  was  captured,  he  found  that  the  enemy  had  left  the 
river  and  fallen  back  a  short  distance,  having  been  in 
formed  of  his  approach  by  their  scouts  who  had  been  out 
in  the  direction  of  Fort  Smith  to  watch  for  any  movement 
of  a  Federal  force  from  that  place.  Having  ascertained 
that  the  enemy  were  in  force  in  his  immediate  front,  the 
Colonel  moved  forward  again  and  came  upon  their  pickets 
at  San  Bois  Creek  and  chased  them  to  Wire  Bridge  where 
about  150  of  Colonel  Watie's  men  showed  themselves  as  if 
they  intended  to  contest  his  further  advance.  As  he  did 
not  know  the  strength  of  the  Confederate  force  in  his 
front,  he  moved  cautiously,  formed  his  men  in  line  of 
battle,  sent  forward  his  skirmishers  and  opened  fire  with 
his  section  of  artillery  upon  the  enemy,  who,  after  a  few 
rounds  of  shot  and  shell,  fled,  after  sustaining  a  small  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded.  As  his  force  was  infantry  and  had 
marched  day  and  night,  with  short  intervals  for  rest, 
since  leaving  Fort  Smith,  he  deemed  further  pursuit  of  the 
enemy,  who  were  mounted,  useless,  and  returned  to  his 
station.  On  hearing  of  the  near  approach  of  Colonel  Craw 
ford's  force  Colonel  Watie  burned  some  of  the  commissary 
supplies  captured  with  the  boat  except  a  small  quantity 


408  f  he  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

that  his  Indian  soldiers  had  taken  away  and  those  piled 
upon  the  sand  bar.  He  reported  that  his  men  were  mostly 
interested  in  securing  the  sutler's  goods  as  their  part  of 
the  booty,  and  broke  away  from  his  command  to  take 
them  home.  His  success  in  capturing  the  boat  increased 
his  prestige  with  Generals  Maxey  and  Cooper,  who  lauded 
his  achievement  as  the  most  important  that  had  been 
scored  by  the  Confederate  arms  in  the  Indian  country 
within  the  last  year. 

Lieutenant  Cook  reported  that  two  of  the  crew  and 
one  of  the  engineers  on  the  boat  were  killed  when  he 
abandoned  it,  and  Colonel  Ritchie  stated  that  in  the 
skirmish  across  the  river  he  had  one  sergeant  and  three 
other  enlisted  men  wounded. 

After  the  capture  and  burning  of  that  boat,  it  was 
considered  unsafe  to  attempt  to  ship  supplies  to  the  troops 
at  Fort  Gibson  by  steamboat,  for  in  a  short  time  the 
Southern  forces  of  Maxey  and  Cooper  occupied  the  coun 
try  south  of  the  Arkansas  River  in  the  Indian  Territory, 
pushing  their  outposts  up  to  within  fifteen  to  twenty  miles 
of  Fort  Smith. 

General  Thayer  certainly  did  not  display  that  rational 
aggressive  policy  expected  of  him  by  many  officers  and 
friends  of  the  Government,  for  by  drawing  in  his  troops 
from  two  to  three  unimportant  outposts  he  would  have 
had  enough  men,  in  the  judgment  of  well  informed  mili 
tary  men  in  that  section,  to  have  marched  out  and  at 
tacked  Maxey  and  Cooper  with  a  strong  probability  of  suc 
cess.  His  entire  administration  of  affairs  at  Fort  Smith 
seems  to  have  been  characterized  by  a  want  of  foresight  in 
calculating  what  the  enemy  might  do  to  thwart  any  given 
enterprise  or  movement  he  projected,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
loss  of  the  boat  and  her  cargo,  and  the  Poison  Spring  dis 
aster. 

His  general  movements  were  directed  by  General 
Steele,  the  Department  Commander,  who  was  busy  looking 
after  General  Shelby  operating  on  the  Upper  White  River, 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  409 

and  General  Marmaduke,  on  the  Mississippi  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River,  but  subordinate  commanders, 
like  General  Thayer,  operating  several  hundred  miles  from 
Department  Headquarters  were  given  rather  wide  dis 
cretionary  powers,  and  generally  had  such  instructions  as? 
"Be  cautious  in  your  movements  and  do  not  attack  the 
enemy  unless  in  your  judgment  the  chances  of  success  are 
largely  in  your  favor."  But  caution  bordering  on  timidity 
is  hardly  excusable  in  military  operations  of  a  commander. 

The  efforts  of  Marmaduke  to  interrupt  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi  and  of  Shelby  to  interrupt  navigation  of 
White  River,  below  De  ValPs  Bluff,  having  failed,  the 
question  that  suggested  itself  to  the  observer  of  events  in 
that  section  was,  Would  General  Price  concentrate  his 
forces  for  an  attack  on  Little  Rock  or  Fort  Smith,  or  plan 
a  campaign  for  the  invasion  of  Missouri  ? 

When  General  Blunt  came  down  to  Fort  Smith  in  the 
spring  to  take  command  of  the  District  of  the  Frontier, 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  talk  about  him  heading  an  Expedi 
tion  into  Northern  Texas  to  assist  the  Unionists  in  throw 
ing  off  Southern  domination,  and  there  was  much  specula 
tion  among  Southern  leaders,  particularly  Generals  Maxey 
and  Cooper,  as  to  whether  he  would  push  directly  south 
along  the  western  line  of  Arkansas,  or  whether  he  would 
take  the  Overland  Mail  Route,  which  was  in  a  southwest 
direction  from  Fort  Smith  through  the  Choctaw  and  Chick- 
asaw  Nations.  Even  after  the  return  of  Thayer' s  Frontier 
Division  from  the  Camden  Expedition,  the  Confederate 
leaders  still  seemed  inclined  to  believe  that  the  troops  of 
that  division  were  to  be  used  for  an  Expedition  into  North 
ern  Texas,  and  Maxey  moved  his  forces  north  from  near 
Red  River  with  great  caution  until  he  secured  informa 
tion  that  convinced  him  the  Federal  commanders  were  not 
intending  immediate  aggressive  operations. 

To  ascertain  the  movements  of  the  enemy  in  the 
counties  south  of  Fort  Smith  and  to  bring  out  quite  a 
number  of  Union  families  in  that  section  General  Thayer 


410  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

sent  out  a  scout  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Charles  S.  Clark,  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry, 
made  up  of  detachments  from  the  Sixth,  Ninth  and  Four 
teenth  Kansas  Regiments,  to  form  a  junction  in  Polk 
county  with  a  similar  scouting  party  sent  out  from  Little 
Rock  under  instructions  from  General  Steele,  about  the 
middle  of  June.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  18th,  Colonel 
Clark  received  information  when  nearing  Waldron  of  two 
bodies  of  Confederates,  in  his  front,  one  at  Hahn's  farm, 
southwest  of  Waldron,  Colonel  Well's  Battalion  of  Texas 
Cavalry,  reported  to  be  three  hundred  strong,  and  the 
other  eight  miles  south  of  Waldron,  on  his  line  of  march 
to  Polk  county,  reported  to  be  five  hundred  strong.  He  did 
not  consider  it  advisable  to  leave  the  force  at  Hahn's  farm 
undisturbed,  for  it  would  be  practically  in  his  rear  if  he 
passed  it  on  his  right  to  attack  the  larger  force  in  his 
front.  He  therefore  determined  to  turn  off  the  Waldron 
road  and  take  the  Lookout  Gap  road  and  first  attack  and 
dispose  of  the  Southern  force  at  Hahn's  farm,  and  marched 
that  evening  within  four  miles  of  their  position  and  went 
into  camp  for  the  night,  seeing  to  it  that  no  information 
of  his  presence  should  be  carried  to  the  enemy.  He  had 
men  with  him  who  were  familiar  with  the  position  of  the 
enemy,  and  the  next  morning  on  resuming  the  march,  he 
decided  to  charge  the  Confederate  camp  and  arranged  his 
different  detachments  for  the  purpose,  and  when  near 
enough  to  make  the  movement  effective,  gave  the  order, 
and  his  men  dashed  forward  and  swept  the  camp  clean  in  a 
few  minutes,  capturing  all  their  camp  equipage,  subsist 
ence,  books,  papers,  forty  horses  and  saddles,  eighty  stands 
of  arms,  mostly  Enfield  rifles,  and  three  prisoners. 

The  Confederates  were  completely  surprised;  a  few 
endeavored  to  make  a  stand;  but  it  was  impossible  in  the 
face  of  the  onrush  of  the  Federal  Cavalry,  firing  as  they 
advanced  with  their  carbines  and  revolvers  or  using  their 
sabres.  After  chasing  the  Texans  two  or  three  miles, 
Colonel  Clark  recalled  his  men  to  the  camp  to  take  account 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  Wear.  41 1 

of  the  captures  and  disposed  of  the  captured  property.  He 
reported  five  Confederate  dead;  the  arms,  saddles  and 
camp  equipage  he  destroyed;  the  prisoners  and  some  of 
the  captured  property  he  brought  back  to  Fort  Smith. 

The  affair  was  of  very  little  importance  in  itself,  but  it 
had  the  effect  of  reminding  General  Maxey  that  the  Fed 
eral  forces  at  Fort  Smith  were  not  to  be  taken  in  or  driven 
out  as  easily  as  he  had  boasted,  and  that  they  were  able 
to  give  blow  for  blow  in  all  the  operations  which  they 
would  likely  be  called  upon  to  take  part,  and  that  they  had 
no  thought  of  retiring  from  that  place  or  Fort  Gibson. 

Directly  after  Colonel  Clark's  scout,  General  Maxey 
had  report  to  him  Brigadier-General  R.  M.  Gano,  who  had 
been  an  officer  in  the  command  of  General  John  Morgan, 
the  famous  Confederate  Raider  through  Indiana  and  Ohio. 
General  Gano  early  gave  promise  of  being  one  of  the  most 
active  and  enterprising  Brigade  Commanders  who  had  up 
to  that  time  opposed  the  Federal  forces  in  that  region,  and 
under  his  leadership  the  Confederate  field  forces  were 
soon  to  assume  a  more  aggressive  attitude  than  during 
the  past  spring.  He  had  by  his  energy  and  military  bear 
ing  attracted  the  attention  of  his  superior  officers  in  the 
Confederate  operations  against  General  Steele  in  the 
Camden  Expedition,  and  he  was  expected  to  bring  those 
same  qualities  to  bear  in  the  operations  against  General 
Thayer  in  Western  Arkansas  and  in  the  Indian  country,  a 
field  of  operations  in  which  the  Confederate  forces  had 
hitherto  been  unable  to  achieve  any  satisfactory  results. 

He  would  have  to  start  with,  in  the  campaign  then 
developing,  the  prestige  of  success  in  other  quarters, 
which  was  more  than  General  Maxey's  other  subordinate 
commanders  could  boast,  which  made  it  more  easy  for  him 
to  accomplish  something  worth  while  in  military  opera 
tions.  He  had  received  a  severe  wound  in  the  arm  while 
leading  his  men  in  a  reconnaissance  in  the  operations 
against  General  Steele,  which  increased  his  reputation  as 
a  bold  and  dashing  officer,  and  an  officer  in  whom  his  men 
had  confidence  as  an  enterprising  commander. 


412  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  m  the  CM  War. 

At  that  time  General  Thayer  did  not  have  a  cavalry 
officer  with  experience  and  with  the  dashing  qualities  of 
Gano;  nor  did  he  have  the  mounted  force  to  put  under 
such  a  commander  if  one  had  appeared  on  the  scene. 
Colonel  W.  F.  Cloud,  Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  fulfilled  the 
required  conditions;  but  he  was  on  duty  in  another  field 
of  operation;  he  was  dashing  and  had  large  experience  in 
cavalry  movements  and  was  well-known  to  the  Southern 
people  and  the  Southern  leaders  in  that  region  since  early 
in  the  war.  His  name  as  the  leader  of  a  movement  was 
an  assurance  of  success. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  ffie  Civil  War.  413 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

ATROCIOUS     ACTS    OF    SOUTHERN     BANDITS— AC 
TION   AT   ROSEVILLE— STONE'S   FARM— MAS- 
SARD  PRAIRIE— CONFEDERATE  DEMON 
STRATION  AGAINST  FORT  SMITH 

In  the  movement  of  his  troops  south  from  Little 
Rock  and  Fort  Smith,  on  the  Camden  Expedition,  General 
Steele  knew  that  the  natural  thing  for  General  Price  to  do 
would  be  to  concentrate  all  the  available  forces  of  his 
district,  in  the  Union  front,  to  check  if  possible  the  ad 
vance  of  the  Federal  Commander. 

While  it  was  the  policy  of  General  Price  to  concen 
trate  as  large  a  force  ajs  practicable  to  oppose  the  advance 
of  the  Federal  columns,  it  was  also  his  desire  to  detach 
as  many  of  his  men  as  could  be  spared  to  operate  in  the 
Federal  rear  against  stations  with  small  garrisons  guard 
ing  public  property,  and  parties  carrying  the  mails  and 
repairing  the  military  telegraph  lines  from  Little  Rock 
and  Fort  Smith.  He  felt  that  he  could  not  spare  many 
of  his  regularly  organized  troops  for  this  service  while  the 
Federal  forces  were  steadily  advancing  on  Camden;  but  he 
determined  to  commission  the  Southern  partisan  leaders  in 
Western  Arkansas  for  the  work  and  believed  that  they 
would  be  more  effective  than  his  soldiers  of  the  line. 

In  less  than  two  weeks  after  General  Thayer's  de 
parture  with  the  Frontier  Division  from  Fort  Smith,  the 
Southern  partisan  bands  commenced  displaying  unusual 
activity  at  points  on  Wire  Road  between  Fort  Smith  and 
Fayetteville,  and  between  Fayetteville  and  Cassville,  by 
cutting  and  taking  down  the  wire  and  obstructing  the  road 
with  it  and  making  entanglements  by  winding  it  around 
trees  on  each  side  of  the  road,  and  by  firing  from  con 
cealed  positions  upon  detachments  of  Federal  soldiers  car 
rying  the  mails  and  dispatches,  and  others  employed  in 
repairing  the  telegraph  line. 

Many  of  the  members  of  these  Southern  partisan 
bands  wore  the  Federal  uniform  and  were  able  to  deceive 


414  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

and  surprise  small  detachments  of  Union  soldiers  now  and 
then  when  out  foraging  or  employed  in  any  service  that 
took  them  a  few  miles  from  their  stations.  There  were 
details  of  ten  to  fifteen  mounted  men  to  carry  the  mails 
as  often  as  once  a  week  from  Fort  Smith  to  Fayetteville, 
and  thence  to  Cassville  and  Springfield,  a  distance  of  about 
160  miles,  and  the  route  was  over  the  Boston  Mountains 
and  through  a  rough  wooded  section  in  which  there  were 
very  few  houses  on  the  road,  nearly  all  of  which  were 
occupied  by  families  of  Southern  sympathizers. 

A  telegraph  line  had  been  constructed  from  Spring 
field  to  Fort  Smith  along  the  Overland  Mail  Route,  over 
which  detachments  of  soldiers  carrying  the  mails  passed, 
and  it  was  important  to  keep  the  line  open  for  the  use  of 
the  military  authorities  in  Western  Arkansas  in  connec 
tion  with  army  operations. 

In  order  to  cripple  the  movements  of  the  Union  forces 
as  much  as  possible,  Southern  Partisan  Rangers,  as  they 
were  sometimes  called,  dashed  in  from  a  distance,  perhaps 
of  a  day's  march,  and  cut  the  telegraph  wire  at  different 
places,  so  that  parties  had  to  be  sent  out  to  repair  it,  and  if 
not  adequately  protected  by  an  escort  while  at  work,  they 
were  almost  certain  to  be  fired  upon  and  one  or  more  killed 
or  wounded.  The  detachments  carrying  the  mail,  too,  al 
though  well  armed,  were  fired  upon  nearly  every  week  by 
Southern  partisans,  from  concealed  positions,  and  some 
times  with  fatal  results  and  without  exacting  an  equiva 
lent  toll  from  the  enemy. 

In  view  of  the  long  distance,  sixty  miles,  between 
Fort  Smith  and  Fayetteville,  which  the  detachments  had 
to  march  without  finding  any  friendly  shelter,  a  station 
was  established  at  Prairie  Grove  at  the  foot  of  the  north 
side  of  the  mountain,- fifteen  miles  south  of  Fayetteville, 
where  horses  were  kept  for  relay,  and  where  there  were  a 
few  soldiers  to  take  care  of  the  stock  and  afford  assistance 
to  the  detachments  passing  over  the  road. 

Colonel  M.  La  Rue  Harrison,  commanding  the  First 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  415 

Arkansas  Union  Cavalry,  stationed  at  Fayetteville,  kept 
part  of  his  regiment  constantly  scouting  through  that 
section,  hunting  down  and  punishing  the  Southern  bandits, 
wherever  they  could  be  found. 

Most  of  his  men  were  brought  up  in  that  section  and 
were  thoroughly  familiar  with  every  part  of  it  and  knew 
the  political  status  of  the  people;  but  it  was  difficult  to 
find  the  bandits  by  scouting,  for  they  could  effectually 
conceal  themselves  in  the  broken  and  thinly  settled  parts 
of  the  mountainous  region  for  weeks,  and  then  by  making 
part  of  a  night's  march,  reach  a  point  from  which  they 
could  attack  the  Union  pickets  at  Fayetteville,  or  cut  the 
wire  at  one  or  more  places  on  the  Wire  Road  or  attack 
parties  carrying  the  mail  on  that  road.  The  bandits  usu 
ally  operated  in  parties  of  from  a  dozen  to  forty  to  fifty 
men,  each  party  having  a  leader  to  direct  their  move 
ments. 

On  the  evening  of  April  7th,  a  party  of  twenty-two  of 
the  most  desperate  outlaws  of  the  Boston  Mountains,  under 
a  leader  named  Lyon,  descended  from  their  hiding  places 
in  the  mountains,  wearing  the  Federal  uniform,  and  came 
to  the  mail  station  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  which  was 
on  the  battle  field  of  Prairie  Grove,  representing  that  they 
belonged  to  the  Fourteenth  Kansas  Cavalry.  As  they  were 
clothed  in  the  Federal  uniform  and  pretended  to  be  friends, 
they  were  permitted  to  advance  to  the  gate  in  front  of 
the  house.  There  were  ten  men  of  the  First  Arkansas 
Cavalry  and  one  citizen  at  the  station.  Nearly  all  the  sol 
diers  were  in  the  house  when  the  desperadoes  came  up. 

Not  suspecting  the  character  of  the  strangers,  and 
after  a  short  conversation  by  the  men  in  the  yard  with 
the  bandits,  the  men  in  the  house  came  out  unarmed,  when 
the  outlaws  opened  fire  upon  them,  killing  nine  of  them 
and  the  citizen,  only  one  soldier  making  his  escape.  Some 
of  the  men  thus  brutally  murdered  were  shamefully  muti 
lated  by  the  fiends  before  they  left  the  scene  of  the  bloody 


416  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

tragedy.  The  escaping  soldier,  however,  led  to  their  speedy 
undoing;  he  immediately  conveyed  information  of  the 
fiendish  murder  of  the  men  to  Colonel  Harrison  at 
Fayetteville  who,  at  once  dispatched  Major  Charles  Gallo 
way  with  a  detachment  of  cavalry  in  pursuit  of  the  out 
laws. 

The  Major  soon  struck  their  trail,  overtook  and  killed 
part  of  them  and  captured  four  and  brought  them  in. 
They  were  tried  by  a  military  court  and  found  guilty  of 
murdering  the  men  at  the  station,  all  of  whom  were  un 
armed,  and  the  outlaws  were  sentenced  to  be  shot  to  death. 

The  findings  of  the  military  court  were  approved  by 
the  President,  and  the  four  outlaws  were  executed  at  Fort 
Smith  on  the  29th  of  July,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  city 
near  the  convent.  They  could  plead  no  extenuation  for 
their  conduct. 

After  their  trial  and  conviction  by  the  military  court, 
they  were  kept  in  the  military  prison  at  Fort  Smith  for 
several  months,  pending  the  action  of  the  President,  and 
on  the  day  of  their  execution  fifty  soldiers  were  detailed 
for  the  purpose  and  marched  out  in  front  of  the  prison 
with  their  arms,  and  ordered  to  ground  arms,  and  when 
their  muskets  were  placed  upon  the  ground  the  men  were 
marched  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  prison  and  halted  at 
parade  rest. 

Another  detachment  of  soldiers  were  furnished  with 
fifty  cartridges,  half  with  balls  and  half  blanks  for  the 
fifty  Springfield  Rifles  that  were  grounded,  and  ordered 
to  take  up  the  guns  and  load  them  so  that  every  alternate 
gun  was  loaded  with  a  cartridge  and  ball  and  the  next 
with  a  blank  cartridge. 

The  soldiers  who  were  first  marched  out  and  grounded 
their  arms  were  then  brought  back  and  directed  to  take 
up  their  arms  in  the  order  in  which  they  had  grounded 
them,  and  when  all  was  in  readiness  and  the  procession 
started,  they  marched  behind  the  caisson  on  which  were 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  417 

seated  the  condemned  men  beside  their  coffins,  to  the  large 
open  space  where  the  executions  were  to  take  place. 
A  detachment  of  soldiers  marched  in  front  and  rear  of  the 
condemned  men.  It  was  a  beautiful  day  and  a  thousand 
or  more  citizens  and  soldiers  were  on  the  ground  to  witness 
the  executions.  On  arrival  at  the  place  of  execution  the 
four  men  were  taken  off  the  caisson  and  placed  in  position 
for  the  firing  detachment.  The  Post  chaplain  who  had  been 
with  them  at  different  times  to  minister  to  their  spiritual 
wants  offered  up  a  prayer  for  the  salvation  of  their  souls, 
and  when  he  had  finished,  they  were  blindfolded  and  the 
detachment  whose  guns  had  been  loaded  with  balls  and 
cartridges  and  with  blank  cartridges,  at  command,  marched 
in  front  of  them,  thirty  to  forty  paces  distant  and  at  the 
order,  fire,  the  roar  of  the  volley  and  the  smoke  from 
their  guns  sealed  their  fate,  they  fell  over  dead,  and  not 
a  man  of  the  firing  detachment  knew  whether  his  gun  had 
fired  a  ball  and  cartridge  or  a  blank  cartridge. 

One  of  the  murderers  was  a  redheaded  youth  who  was 
probably  under  eighteen,  and  he  was  charged  with  having 
committed  a  number  of  other  murders  in  the  section  where 
he  was  captured,  murders  of  the  most  brutal  nature. 

Not  only  Southern  partisan  bands  wore  the  Federal 
uniform  when  they  could  get  it;  but  companies  operating 
with  the  regular  organized  Confederate  forces  frequently 
wore  it  with  the  sanction  and  under  the  eyes  of  Generals 
Price  and  Marmaduke  and  other  Southern  officers  com 
manding  troops  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  In  wearing 
the  Federal  uniform  the  outlaws  might  now  and  then  get 
ahead  in  killing  Union  soldiers  and  citizens;  but  it  is  not 
likely  that  in  the  end  they  were  ahead,  for  the  chances 
were  more  than  even  that  men  of  desperate  characters  in 
active  service  would  get  killed,  wounded  or  captured  in 
the  course  of  a  year  or  so,  and  if  captured  their  records 
were  hunted  up,  and  they  were  certain  to  be  tried  as  spies 
or  murderers,  and  if  convicted,  shot  to  death. 


418  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

When  it  became  known  to  the  Southern  partisan 
leaders  in  Southwest  Arkansas  that  most  of  the  Federal 
troops  had  been  taken  away  from  Fort  Smith  and  vicinity, 
for  the  Camden  Expedition,  they  made  desperate  efforts  to 
capture  or  drive  off  the  Federal  detachments  stationed  at 
points  along  the  Arkansas  River  for  the  protection  of 
navigation  and  the  loyal  citizens  of  that  section.  After 
they  concentrated  about  five  hundred  men  from  different 
organizations,  they  proposed  to  make  an  attack  on  Rose- 
ville,  forty-five  miles  below  Fort  Smith  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Arkansas  River.  A  battalion  of  Federal  soldiers  had 
been  stationed  at  that  place  during  the  past  winter;  but  in 
the  recent  movement  of  the  troops  of  the  Frontier  Division 
under  General  Thayer  from  Fort  Smith  to  join  General 
Steele  on  his  march  to  Camden,  there  were  left  at  Rose- 
ville  only  two  companies  of  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry, 
Captain  John  Gardner  commanding,  and  one  company  of 
the  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  under  Captain  David  Goss. 
Captain  Gardner  was  the  senior  officer  in  command  of  the 
troops  at  the  station  and  directed  their  movements  at  that 
place.  The  mounted  troops  of  this  force  were  employed  not 
only  in  scouting  and  hunting  down  and  breaking  up  and 
dispersing  Southern  partisan  bands  of  that  section  to  pre 
vent  them  from  collecting  in '  sufficient  force  to  attack 
the  boats  on  the  river;  but  with  the  infantry  detachments 
they  were  also  employed  in  guarding  their  supplies  and 
several  hundred  bales  of  cotton,  which  were  seized  by  the 
Government  and  were  awaiting  shipment  to  Little  Rock 
and  Memphis. 

Until  ready  for  shipment  the  cotton  bales  were  used 
by  the  soldiers  in  making  breastworks  for  defensive  pur 
poses  in  the  event  of  attack.  There  were  also  several 
brick  buildings  in  town  which  had  port  holes  made  in  them 
for  small  arms  in  the  event  of  hostile  attack,  which  was 
looked  for. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  419 

Captains  Gardner  and  Goss  knew  that  the  country 
around  Roseville  was  full  of  Southern  partisan  bands,  and 
they  now  and  then  heard  of  the  near  approach  of  heavy 
cavalry  scouts  from  Price's  army  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  State,  and  were  satisfied  that  an  attack  was  imminent 
at  any  time,  and  were  prepared  to  make  a  good  fight  if 
they  were  not  overwhelmed  by  superior  numbers  sup 
plied  with  artillery. 

General  Gano  detached  a  part  of  his  Brigade  for  the 
expedition  against  Roseville,  and  on  the  morning  of  April 
4th  his  detachment  and  the  Southern  partisan  bands  of 
Captains  Stone,  King  and  Basham,  numbering  upwards 
of  five  hundred  men,  drove  in  the  Federal  pickets  south  of 
town  and  immediately  commenced  a  vigorous  attack  on  the 
troops  at  the  station.  In  a  few  moments  after  the  alarm 
was  given  Captains  Gardner  and  Goss  had  their  men  out 
in  line  and  their  skirmishers  thrown  forward,  protected  by 
houses  and  fences  to  keep  the  enemy  out  of  town. 

The  Federal  soldiers  used  their  long  range  rapid  fir 
ing  Sharp's  carbines  very  effectively  in  holding  the  Con 
federates  off  from  every  point  on  which  they  made  an 
attack.  They  also  hastily  constructed  breastworks  of  cot 
ton  bales  around  a  warehouse  near  the  river,  which  made 
an  effective  shelter  and  protection  against  the  Confederate 
small  arms.  The  Confederates  made  several  efforts  to 
charge  and  carry  the  Federal  position,  but  were  driven 
off  every  time  with  severe  loss. 

They  were  not  permitted  to  approach  nearer  than  one 
hundred  feet  of  the  breastwork,  the  fire  of  the  Federal 
soldiers  was  so  hot  and  destructive.  During  the  fight  most 
of  the  Confederate  forces  dismounted  and  sought  sheltered 
positions  from  which  they  kept  up  a  hot  fire  for  nearly 
two  hours,  doing  a  good  deal  of  damage.  They  were  fin 
ally  completely  repulsed  and  driven  off  with  the  loss  of  ten 
men  killed  and  upwards  of  thirty  wounded,  leaving  their 
dead  and  severely  wounded  on  the  ground. 


420  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

On  the  Federal  side  the  Second  Kansas  had  five  men 
killed  and  eleven  wounded,  and  the  Sixth  Kansas  had  four 
men  killed,  number  of  wounded  not  reported.  At  the  time 
of  the  fight  there  was  no  surgeon  or  assistant  surgeon 
with  either  of  the  Federal  detachments  to  attend  to  the 
wounded,  and  Captain  Goss  despatched  sergeant  W.  A. 
Kelly  with  two  men  of  his  company  up  the  north  side  of  the 
river  to  Fort  Smith  with  a  request  that  a  surgeon  be  sent 
down  at  once.  The  next  morning  shortly  after  daylight 
Assistant  Surgeon  Stephen  A.  Fairchild,  of  the  Sixth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  with  an  escort  of  twenty-seven  men  under 
Lieutenant  Sharp  McKibbin  of  the  same  regiment,  left  Fort 
Smith  for  Roseville.  A  woman  on  horseback  passed  out 
of  the  Federal  lines  at  Fort  Smith  with  Lieutenant  Mc- 
Kibbin's  detachment  and  rode  with  his  advance  for  several 
miles,  when,  moving  forward  at  a  more  rapid  gait  than  he 
was  marching,  she  disappeared  ahead  of  him.  His  de 
tachment  marched  along  without  interruption  until  about 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when  he  made  a  short  halt  at 
a  farmhouse  within  ten  miles  of  Roseville.  He  found  the 
women  at  this  place  greatly  excited,  and  they  begged  him 
to  move  on,  expressing  a  fear  that  he  would  be  attacked 
by  a  force  of  about  four  hundred  Southern  partisans  who 
were  encamped  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the  road 
on  his  left  front.  He  sent  two  or  three  men  off  in  the 
direction  of  the  reported  camp  to  make  a  reconnaissance. 
They  soon  returned  with  the  information  that  the  hostile 
force  had  just  broken  up  their  camp  at  the  place  desig 
nated  and  marched  in  a  direction  to  intercept  him  on  the 
road  on  which  he  was  moving  some  distance  in  his  front. 
He  resumed  the  march,  looking  for  an  attack  at  any  mo 
ment.  He  moved  forward  a  mile  or  so  to  Stone's  farm, 
where  the  bandits  were  in  position  on  both  sides  of  the 
road,  prepared  to  attack  him.  The  road  on  which  he  was 
marching  bore  nearly  due  east,  and  at  the  point  where  the 
attack  was  made  crossed  a  hollow  running  from  a  south- 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  421 

west  to  a  northeast  direction,  with  timber  on  its  sloping 
sides.  A  hundred  yards  or  so  on  his  right  and  left  front 
there  were  two  fields,  between  which  the  road  passed 
through  a  narrow  lane. 

About  two  hundred  yards  on  his  left  was  another 
field,  the  southeast  corner  of  which  joined  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  field  on  the  left  of  the  road  in  his  front. 
Sergeant  William  H.  Ward,  company  E,  Sixth  Kansas,  who 
was  one  of  the  escort,  stated  that  on  nearing  the  entrance 
to  the  lane  the  bandits,  who  were  mostly  on  the  right  of 
the  road,  commenced  to  swing  the  left  of  their  line  across 
the  road  in  the  rear  of  the  detachment  and  to  move  for 
ward  the  right  of  their  line  to  prevent  the  Federal  sol 
diers  from  entering  the  lane,  at  the  same  time  making 
a  charge  from  their  center.  Lieutenant  McKibbin  then 
brought  the  escort  right-wheel  into  line  to  meet  them; 
but  as  they  were  wearing  the  Federal  uniform,  and  fearing 
that  they  might  be  Federal  soldiers,  he  demanded  to  know 
who  they  were  before  firing.  Their  leader  replied,  "Stand 
there  a  moment  and  we  will  show  you  who  we  are;"  the 
escort  then  delivered  their  fire,  and  in  another  moment, 
seeing  the  effort  to  cut  them  off  from  the  entrance  to  the 
lane,  made  a  dash  for  it  and  gained  it  before  the  outlaws 
could  throw  a  sufficient  force  across  it  to  hold  it.  On  fir 
ing  a  volley  from  their  carbines,  the  Federal  soldiers  drew 
their  revolvers  and  fired  right  and  left  into  the  enemy 
who  were  endeavoring  to  cut  them  off  from  the  lane. 

After  the  escort  broke  through  the  bandits  at  the 
mouth  of  the  lane,  it  was  then  a  race  for  their  lives  for 
the  next  two  miles,  and  in  the  space  of  a  few  moments 
twelve  of  the  Federal  detachment,  including  Surgeon  Fair- 
child,  were  killed,  or  fell  wounded  and  were  afterwards  mur 
dered  and  their  bodies  horribly  mutilated  with  knives  and 
stripped  of  the  outer  clothing. 

It  was  reported  at  that  time  that  the  Southern  bandits 
of  that  section  had  bound  themselves  by  an  oath  not  to  sur 
render  to  the  Federal  authorities  and  not  take  any  Federal 


422  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

soldiers  prisoners,  and  the  fiendish  conduct  of  the  despera 
does  in  mutilating  the  Federal  dead  showed  what  desperate 
characters  the  Confederacy  had  called  into  its  service.  The 
next  day  a  detail  was  sent  out  from  Roseville  to  collect  and 
bring  in  the  Federal  dead,  and  on  arrival  of  the  bodies  they 
were  interred  in  the  cemetery  near  town. 

The  fiendish  conduct  of  the  bandits  did  not  lessen  the 
activities  of  the  Union  soldiers  in  that  section,  for  on  the 
return  of  General  Thayer's  division  to  Fort  Smith  from 
the  Camden  Expedition,  he  had  more  cavalry  to  put  into 
the  field,  and  the  Southern  partisan  bands  along  the  Ar 
kansas  River  who  had  participated  in  the  Stone's  Farm 
massacre  met  with  swift  punishment.  Colonel  A.  H.  Ryan, 
Third  Arkansas  Union  Cavalry,  stationed  at  Lewisburg,  re 
ported  to  General  Steele  that  different  detachments  of  his 
command  in  the  course  of  one  week  had  hunted  down  and 
killed  fourteen  of  the  enemy,  wounded  sixteen,  and  cap 
tured  fifty-five  men  and  three  officers,  besides  a  large  num 
ber  of  horses  and  mules  and  guns,  without  sustaining  any 
loss. 

The  operations  of  Colonel  Cloud  who  was  stationed  at 
Clarkville  with  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry  were  scarcely 
less  successful  against  the  Southern  bandits  of  that  section. 
Detachments  of  Federal  cavalry  were  sent  out  daily  from 
the  different  posts  to  scout  the  surrounding  country,  and 
they  rarely  returned  to  camp  without  chasing  and  running 
down  and  killing  several  of  the  enemy.  Before  starting  out 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  detachment  generally  had 
information  of  the  exact  locality  where  the  bandits  would 
be  found,  and  he  was  frequently  able  to  surprise  them  so 
completely  that  few  of  them  would  get  away.  At  almost 
every  post  citizen  scouts  were  employed  and  sent  out  one 
or  two  together  by  the  Federal  commander  to  obtain  infor 
mation  in  regard  to  the  movements  of  hostile  bodies  of  men 
in  the  vicinity  and  within  a  day's  march  of  the  station. 
These  scouts  in  most  cases  wore  long  hair,  and  traveling 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.        423 

through  the  country  visited  Southern  families  and  pretended 
to  be  Southern  men  in  order  to  secure  the  desired  informa 
tion.  When  encamped  in  the  deep  recesses  of  the  moun 
tains  and  forests  the  bandits  were  sometimes  vigorously 
attacked  by  the  Union  cavalry  and  routed  with  heavy  loss 
on  the  reports  of  citizen  scouts  who  had  been  thus  sent  out. 
The  Unionists  were  determined  that  these  desperate  con 
tests  should  not  be  one  sided. 

Action  at  Massard  Prairie 

While  the  Confederate  partisan  bands  were  displaying 
unusual  activity  to  interrupt  General  Thayer's  communica 
tion  with  Springfield  and  the  North,  the  Southern  forces 
of  General  Maxey  under  the  immediate  command  of  Gen 
erals  Cooper  and  Gano  were  advancing  to  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  Smith  in  his  front,  reported  by  scouts  to  be  five  or  six 
thousand  strong. 

After  the  capture  of  the  steam  ferry  boat  at  Pleasant 
Bluff  with  supplies  for  the  troops  at  Fort  Gibson,  Colonel 
Watie  was  promoted  to  Brigadier  General  in  command  of 
a  brigade  of  Indians  in  General  Cooper's  Indian  Division, 
and  his  success  seems  to  have  infused  some  hope  of  further 
achievements  worth  while  among  General  Maxey's  subor 
dinate  commanders,  so  that  on  the  19th  of  July  General 
Cooper  with  a  large  Confederate  force  of  about  three  thou 
sand  mounted  men  made  a  reconnoissance  to  Scullyville  in 
the  Choctaw  Nation,  advancing  to  within  ten  to  twelve 
miles  of  Fort  Smith. 

General  Thayer  was  in  great  need  of  cavalry  to  meet 
these  demonstrations  of  the  enemy  in  his  immediate  front. 
He  had  been  ordered  to  send  the  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry  to 
Little  Rock,  and  the  Second  Kansas  under  Colonel  Cloud 
had  been  at  Clarksville  for  several  months,  leaving  only  two 
battalions  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  at  Fort  Smith,  many  of 
whom  were  dismounted.  With  a  small  mounted  force,  Gen 
eral  Thayer  could  not  hope  to  make  a  successful  aggressive 
movement  against  the  Confederate  troops,  who  were  nearly 


424  Th$  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

all  mounted.  And  this  lack  of  aggressiveness  of  the  Fed 
eral  commander,  impressed  the  Confederate  leaders  that  it 
was  his  weakness  or  timidity  that  prevented  him  from 
marching  against  them.  General  Cooper,  who  had  been 
repeatedly  defeated  by  General  Blunt  and  Colonel  Phillips, 
with  the  loss  of  his  artillery,  was  now  becoming  so  bold  as 
to  venture  to  attack  General  Thayer's  outposts  near  Fort 
Smith. 

For  about  three  weeks  in  July  four  companies  of  the 
Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  under  Major  David  Mefford  of 
that  regiment,  were  stationed  at  Massard  Prairie,  five 
miles  south  of  Fort  Smith,  as  an  outpost,  and  to  keep  out 
scouting  detachments  to  the  front  to  watch  the  move 
ments  of  the  enemy  and  report  every  day  or  so. 

After  his  reconnaissance  to  Scullyville,  General  Cooper 
ascertained  from  his  scouts  the  position  of  the  Federal 
outpost  south  of  Fort  Smith,  and  directed  Brigadier-Gen 
eral  R.  M.  Gan>  to  take  a  well  mounted  force  of  fifteen 
hundred  men  from  three  brigades,  move  forward,  and 
approach  near  enough  to  the  Federal  detachment  on  the 
night  of  the  26th  to  make  the  attack  early  the  next 
morning.  Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  forage,  Major  Mefford 
had  been  sending  out  to  graze  early  every  morning  under 
proper  details  all  his  horses  not  required  for  scouting 
purposes,  so  that  his  command  of  two  hundred  men  thus 
isolated  was  very  little  more  effective  than  so  many 
infantry. 

He  kept  his  pickets  properly  posted  and  sent  out 
scouting  detachments  every  day  on  all  roads  on  which 
the  enemy  would  likely  approach;  besides  citizens  scouts 
were  sent  out  every  day  by  Captain  W.  S.  Tough,  Chief  of 
Scouts,  District  of  the  Frontier,  from  Fort  Smith,  to  watch 
the  movements  of  Cooper's  forces,  who  had  for  several 
days  been  encamped  on  Buck  Creek  about  twenty-five 
miles  southwest  in  the  Choctaw  Nation.  General  Gano 
concentrated  his  force  during  the  night  on  the  Poteau 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  425 

River  about  ten  miles  southwest  of  the  Federal  camp,  and 
moving  forward  before  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the 
27th  drove  in  the  Federal  pickets  at  sunrise,  his  advance  ar 
riving  at  Mef ford's  camp  almost  with  the  pickets,  so  thor 
oughly  had  his  plans  worked  out. 

But  the  firing  between  the  pickets  and  the  Confed 
erate  advance,  perhaps  half  a  mile  off,  aroused  the  camp, 
and  Major  Mef  ford  got  his  men  out  in  line  before  General 
Gano  formed  his  troops  to  charge.  When  it  was  known 
that  the  enemy  were  approaching,  Major  Mef  ford  ordered 
his  herd  brought  in  from  the  prairie  where  it  had  been 
sent  to  graze  that  morning  at  daylight. 

Before  the  herd  could  be  secured  and  the  men 
mounted,  however,  General  Gano  charged  the  camp  and 
stampeded  the  horses,  leaving  Major  Mef  ford  with  his 
command  dismounted  to  make  the  best  fight  possible  with 
the  overwhelming  force  of  Texans  and  Indians.  Un 
fortunately  the  Federal  camp  was  in  the  edge  of  the 
timber  on  the  south  side  of  Massard  Prairie,  and  there  was 
no  shelter  by  which  Major  Mef  ford  could  protect  his  men 
in  the  unequal  contest.  The  Major  was  an  experienced 
officer,  and  in  making  a  hasty  disposition  for  the  fight, 
Companies  E  and  H  formed  his  left,  and  Companies  B  and 
D  his  right,  and  by  skilfully  handling  them,  his  men 
with  their  Sharp's  carbines  repulsed  three  separate 
charges  of  the  enemy  in  defending  his  camp. 

In  a  short  time  the  Confederates  commenced  to  pass 
around  his  flanks  and  to  form  in  his  rear,  and  then  he  was 
obliged  to  retreat  across  the  prairie  in  the  direction  of 
Fort  Smith,  using  part  of  his  force  in  firing  well-directed 
volleys  to  break  the  lines  of  the  enemy  in  his  rear.  He 
kept  up  this  retreating  fight  for  about  a  mile  across  the 
prairie  to  a  house  in  the  edge  of  the  timber,  and  by  his 
effective  volleys  repeatedly  broke  the  lines  of  the  enemy 
and  dispersed  them  when  they  formed  across  his  line  of 
retreat.  But  finally  the  Confederates  formed  in  such 


426  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

heavy  masses  between  him  and  Fort  Smith  that  he  could 
not  break  their  line  again,  and  was  obliged  to  surrender, 
only  a  few  of  his  men  being  able  to  cut  their  way  through 
the  Confederate  ranks  and  get  away.  He  made  a  gallant 
fight  and  held  his  men  intact  to  the  last  volley,  so  that 
he  did  not  lose  a  man  from  demoralization. 

The  Federal  loss  in  the  action  at  Massard  Prairie  was 
11  men  killed,  20  wounded,  and  127  men  captured,  including 
Major  Mefford  and  Lieutenant  J.  M.  DeFriese.  On  the 
Confederate  side  there  were  9  men  killed  and  26  wounded. 

Immediately  after  Major  Mefford  surrendered  and  his 
men  disarmed,  General  Gano  started  the  prisoners  south 
on  the  double-quick,  for  fear  that  a  large  force  would 
come  out  from  Fort  Smith  and  endeavor  to  retake  them. 
Early  in  the  action  Major  Mefford  dispatched  a  messenger 
to  headquarters  for  re-enforcements,  stating  that  he  was 
heavily  attacked,  and  General  Thayer  hastily  collected  such 
mounted  troops  as  were  at  hand  and  sent  them  forward; 
but  they  did  not  reach  the  field  until  the  fight  was  over, 
and  they  were  unable  to  overtake  the  enemy. 

It  was  a  very  warm  day,  and  the  prisoners  being 
obliged  to  march  double-quick  time  for  about  ten  miles, 
they  were  nearly  exhausted  and  suffered  dreadfully  from 
thirst  when  General  Gano  went  into  camp  that  night  south 
of  Backbone  Mountain.  Sergeant  Thomas  Sauls  of  Mef- 
ford's  company  was  about  sixty  years  of  age,  and  the 
first  few  miles  march  gave  out  from  fatigue  and  heat,  and 
was  picked  up  and  taken  along  in  an  ambulance  until  the 
prisoners  went  into  camp  that  night.  With  a  sufficient 
escort  the  prisoners  were  taken  to  Tyler,  Texas,  where  the 
Confederate  authorities  had  an  extensive  stockade  and 
prison  pen  for  keeping  Federal  prisoners  captured  west  of 
the  Mississippi  River,  and  where  the  treatment  of  prison 
ers  was  very  little  better  than  at  Andersonville,  where 
they  were  treated  with  unspeakable  cruelty,  that  can  never 
be  extenuated. 

Some  of  the  men   who   were   captured    at   Massard 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  427 

Prairie  endeavored  to  escape  from  the  Tyler  camp,  but 
they  were  hunted  and  run  down  by  bloodhounds  and  their 
limbs  horribly  lacerated  by  the  fierce  beasts.  A  few  of 
the  men,  however,  by  tunnelling  under  the  stockade,  did 
escape  by  the  scent  of  their  trail  being  too  old  to  be 
followed  by  the  bloodhounds,  when  put  upon  it. 

General  Gano's  successful  movement  at  Massard 
Prairie  encouraged  General  Cooper  to  make  a  demonstra 
tion  against  Fort  Smith  with  nearly  his  entire  force,  to 
ascertain  if  possible  the  strength  of  the  Union  forces,  and 
to  make  a  diversion  in  favor  of  a  force  which  he  had 
ordered  to  cross  to  the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas  River 
above  Fort  Smith  to  attack  some  Federal  detachments  put 
ting  up  hay  for  army  use  on  Blackburn's  Prairie. 

On  the  morning  of  July  31st  the  Confederate  advance 
attacked  and  drove  in  the  Federal  pickets  stationed  on  the 
Texas  road  four  miles  south  of  Fort  Smith  under  Lieu 
tenant  L.  F.  Stewart,  Sixth  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  came  up 
to  within  two  miles  of  the  outer  line  of  fortifications,  with 
skirmishers  thrown  forward  to  cover  their  main  line  of 
battle.  When  the  near  approach  of  the  enemy  was  re 
ported  to  him,  General  Thayer  ordered  Colonel  Judson, 
Sixth  Kansas,  commanding  Third  Brigade,  to  march  out 
and  check  the  enemy  advance.  He  moved  out  with  two 
regiments  of  infantry,  the  available  men  of  the  Sixth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  and  four  guns  of  the  Second  Indiana  Bat 
tery  under  Captain  Espey,  and  taking  up  a  position  on  the 
high  ground  about  a  mile  south  of  town,  sent  forward  his 
skirmishers  to  engage  the  enemy. 

In  the  disposition  of  the  Confederate  troops,  Brigadier- 
General  Gano  commanded  General  Cooper's  right  wing  and 
Brigadier-General  Watie  his  left  wing,  but  they  showed 
no  inclination  to  engage  in  close  fighting. 

The  troops  and  guns  assigned  to  the  fortifications 
took  up  their  positions  for  an  emergency,  and  during  the 
day  General  Thayer  was  on  the  field  directing  the  move- 


428  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ments  of  his  forces,  but  he  made  no  effort  to  bring  the 
enemy  to  a  general  engagement,  for  want  of  cavalry  to 
operate  on  his  flanks.  There  was  some  spirited  skir 
mishing,  but  the  opposing  forces  confronted  each  other  on 
ridges  that  separted  them  by  a  half  to  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  nearly  all  day  without  either  party  making  a  move 
ment  to  join  in  close  conflict.  After  some  cautious  maneu 
vering  and  skirmishing  at  long  range,  General  Cooper  or 
dered  up  a  section  of  Howell's  battery,  which  threw  shells 
at  the  Federal  line  for  a  short  time,  when  it  was  with 
drawn  and  a  section  of  Humphrey's  battery  ordered  to 
take  its  place. 

Directly  after  this  last  battery  went  into  action  the 
four  guns  of  the  Second  Indiana  battery  were  ordered 
out  from  Fort  Smith  and  opened  upon  it  with  shell,  and  on 
firing  less  than  half  a  dozen  rounds  came  near  producing 
a  panic  among  the  hostile  Indians  of  Cooper's  command. 
A  single  shell  from  one  of  the  Federal  guns  burst  in  the 
midst  of  the  Confederate  battery  team,  killing  four 
horses  and  taking  a  leg  off  of  one  of  the  gunners,  while 
another  shell  took  a  man's  head  off,  and  wounded  sev 
eral  gunners.  The  dead  horses  were  immediately  cut  loose 
from  the  limber,  and  the  disabled  gun  drawn  off  by  the 
men,  when  the  entire  Confederate  force  retreated  from 
the  field. 

General  Thayer  did  not  follow  up  his  advantage  by 
pursuit,  claiming  that  he  did  not  have  a  sufficient  mounted 
force  to  do  it  effectively.  The  casualties  on  the  Federal 
side  in  the  skirmish  were  four  men  killed  and  six  wounded. 
Colonel  Judson  was  wounded  in  the  leg  by  a  piece  of 
shell.  As  far  as  could  be  ascertained  the  casualties  on  the 
Confederate  side  were  about  equal  to  those  sustained  by 
the  Federal  forces. 

This  demonstration  convinced  General  Cooper  that  the 
fall  or  evacuation  of  Fort  Smith  by  the  Federal  forces  was 
not  as  near  at  hand  as  had  been  reported  to  him,  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  429 

the  next  day  he  fell  back  about  forty  miles  southwest  in 
the  Choctaw  Nation  near  his  depots  to  rest  and  reorganize 
his  forces,  the  expiration  of  service  of  some  of  his  Choc- 
taws  being  near.  They  nearly  all,  however,  re-enlisted  for 
the  war.  This  was  the  last  demonstration  he  made  in 
force,  but  he  soon  afterwards  commenced  displaying  some 
activity  in  sending  heavy  mounted  detachments  north  of 
the  Arkansas  River  to  attack  and  break  up  parties  cutting 
and  putting  up  hay  for  the  Government  and  to  destroy 
the  hay  already  put  up. 

Most  of  Watie's  command  of  Cherokees  under  Colonels 
Adair  and  Bell  were  sent  north  of  the  river  through  the 
Cherokee  Nation  on  the  east  side  of  Grand  River,  but 
after  some  skirmishing  were  driven  south  by  the  loyal 
Indian  soldiers  from  Fort  Gibson. 

General  Shelby  with  a  brigade  of  his  Southern  Mis- 
sourians  from  Price's  army,  having  crossed  to  the  north 
side  of  the  Arkansas  River,  was  making  a  vigorous  cam 
paign  on  White  River  and  in  Northeast  Arkansas,  and 
was  giving  General  Steele  all  he  could  do  to  keep  his  lines 
of  communication  open  with  Memphis,  for  Shelby  was 
making  frequent  attacks  on  the  railroad  and  bridges  be 
tween  Memphis  and  Little  Rock,  and  on  steamers  plying 
White  River. 

It  was  also  reported  from  many  sources  that  Shelby's 
operations  north  of  the  Arkansas  were  to  prepare  the  way 
for  a  larger  movement  by  Price's  army  into  Missouri  in  a 
month  or  two;  that  he  had  represented  to  General  Smith 
commanding  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department,  that  if 
liberally  supported  in  making  an  expedition  into  Mis 
souri,  he  would  be  able  to  capture  St.  Louis,  with  the 
vast  amount  of  Government  supplies  stored  there,  of  which 
the  Confederacy  was  greatly  in  need ;  besides,  if  obliged  to 
retire,  he  would  be  able  to  bring  out  many  thousands  of 
recruits  for  the  Southern  army.  The  picture  represented 
was  a  very  promising  one  and  was  strongly  favored  by 
Missourians  in  the  Confederate  army  and  was  much  talked 
of  in  their  camps. 


430  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

CHAPTER  XXIV 
CONFEDERATES  CAPTURE  SUPPLY  TRAIN 

On  the  30th  of  July  General  Thayer  issued  an  order 
relieving  Colonel  William  A.  Phillips  of  the  command  of 
the  Indian  Brigade  and  of  the  Post  of  Fort  Gibson  with  in 
structions  to  turn  over  the  command  to  Colonel  S.  H. 
Wattles  of  the  First  Indian  Regiment  and  to  report  in 
person  immediately  to  District  Headquarters  at  Fort 
Smith.  There  was  no  reason  stated  for  this  change  of 
commanders.  The  Colonel  had  been  in  command  of  the 
Indian  Brigade  for  about  two  years,  and  had  made  the 
loyal  Indian  troops  as  efficient  in  holding  the  Indian  coun 
try  as  white  troops,  and  in  holding  the  extreme  right  of 
the  Federal  forces  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  were  a 
very  important  factor  in  army  operations  in  that  region. 
He  had  the  entire  confidence  of  the  loyal  Indians  and 
guarded  their  interest  with  jealous  care. 

He  had  by  a  skillful  movement  of  the  Indian  Brigade, 
supported  by  a  battalion  of  white  troops  and  a  four-gun 
battery,  seized  Fort  Gibson  and  fortified  it  and  held  the 
Indian  country  north  of  the  Arkansas,  more  than  six 
months  before  the  capture  of  Little  Rock  and  the  occupa 
tion  of  the  lower  Arkansas  by  the  Federal  forces.  His 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Indian  Country  had 
been  so  efficient  and  satisfactory  to  the  loyal  Indians  and 
the  Government  and  so  free  from  any  scandals  connected 
with  army  operations  and  administration,  and  his  popu 
larity  among  the  loyal  Indians  so  great,  that  the  Lane 
faction  of  politicians  in  Kansas  it  was  claimed  by  many 
were  envious  of  the  reputation  he  was  making  for  him 
self,  and  not  only  stood  in  the  way  of  his  promotion,  but 
were  constantly  scheming  to  get  him  out  of  the  way  of 
attracting  so  much  popular  attention. 

The  first  scheme  of  his  political  enemies  and  some 
large  private  interests  operating  in  that  section,  to  get 
rid  of  him,  was  a  recommendation  of  his  superior  officer 
for  the  muster  out  of  service  of  the  Indian  Brigade,  and 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War  431 

when  this  scheme  failed,  the  next  was  to  thwart  his  efforts 
to  remount  part  of  his  command,  which  was  becoming  less 
efficient  for  the  operations  required,  on  account  of  so 
many  of  the  mounts  of  his  Indian  soldiers  having  become 
worn  out  and  unserviceable  by  hard  service  and  inadequate 
forage.  But  as  he  had  secured  authority  from  the  War 
Department  to  remount  part  of  his  Indian  troops,  it  was 
felt  that  the  surest  way  to  get  him  out  of  the  district,  was 
to  bring  influences  to  bear  to  relieve  him  of  his  command. 

He  had  stood  firmly  for  protecting  the  rights  and 
interests  of  the  loyal  Indians,  and  against  allowing  any 
scandals  to  grow  out  of  contracts  for  furnishing  the  army 
with  supplies. 

He  was  commanding  an  Indian  Brigade  whose  opera 
tions  extended  over  the  finest  grazing  and  stock  raising 
of  cattle  and  pony  horses  in  the  country,  and  when  the 
Federal  army  advanced  into  the  Indian  country  in  the 
spring  of  1862,  there  were  not  only  cattle  upon  a  thou 
sand  hills,  but  the  prairies  were  dotted  with  the  herds, 
each  animal  bearing  the  brand  of  the  owner. 

This  stock  was  the  principal  source  of  wealth  and  of 
living  of  the  Indians,  and  was  a  temptation  to  Army 
Contractors  who  accompanied  the  troops  in  the  field,  to 
appropriate  it  to  private  use  without  inquiring  into  the 
political  status  of  the  owners,  which  made  little  difference, 
for  if  it  belonged  to  the  disloyal  Indians  it  might  be  con 
fiscated  by  the  Government,  and  if  to  loyal  Indians  and 
appropriated  by  the  army,  it  would  be  paid  for  by  the 
Government.  While  the  armies  of  both  sides  and  the 
marauders  accompanying  them  had  been  taking  this  stock 
of  the  Indians  for  two  years,  and  had  greatly  depleted  the 
herds,  still,  in  the  summer  of  1864,  there  were  many 
valuable  ones  in  the  Indian  country  that  prominent  men 
with  political  and  army  influence  were  desirous  of  secur 
ing  without  paying  for  them. 

On  the  10th  of  July  Colonel  Phillips  reported  to 
General  Thayer  the  arrest  of  nine  men  from  Kansas, 


432         The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War, 

caught  with  a  herd  of  stolen  cattle  sixty  miles  up  the 
Verdigris  River;  that  there  were  eleven  men  in  the  party, 
and  that  the  two  principal  ones  while  trying  to  escape  were 
killed;  that  the  witnesses  to  both  the  stealing  of  the 
stock  and  offenders  were  held  at  Fort  Gibson,  and  that 
if  they  were  not  to  be  tried  there,  he  would  send  them 
down  to  Fort  Smith  under  an  escort.  He  also  stated  that 
he  heard  of  another  large  herd  of  eight  hundred  head  of 
stolen  cattle,  that  were  on  the  way  and  then  probably  in 
Kansas,  and  that  he  was  sending  a  detachment  of  troops 
after  them.  Captain  H.  S.  Anderson  of  the  Third  Indian 
Regiment  was  sent  after  this  stock  and  on  his  arrival  at 
the  Osage  Mission  he  found  150  head  of  the  stolen  cat 
tle  in  the  possession  of  the  Osage  Indians,  that  belonged  to 
the  Creek  Nation,  and  when  the  Osages  found  that  he  was 
after  the  cattle,  they  scattered  them  and  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  follow  them.  Captain  C.  Johnson  of  the  Fif 
teenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  stationed  at  the  Osage  Mission,  had 
assisted  the  Osages  in  driving  the  cattle  out  of  the  nation, 
but  was  not  inclined  to  give  any  information  about  it. 
Captain  Anderson  stated  that  he  could  find  all  over  that 
country  cattle  with  the  Cherokee  and  Creek  brands  on 
them,  and  that  there  had  been  a  large  number  driven  from 
the  Indian  country  into  Southern  Kansas,  the  last  month, 
and  that  he  could  safely  say  as  many  as  six  or  seven  thou 
sand  head.  He  also  reported  that  he  found  it  very  diffi 
cult  to  obtain  information  from  officials  in  Kansas  in  re* 
gard  to  bringing  this  stock  out  of  the  Indian  country  ex 
cept  Colonel  C.  W.  Blair,  commanding  at  Fort  Scott,  who 
gave  him  all  the  information  possible  and  all  the  assist 
ance  in  his  power.  He  further  reported  that  the  cattle 
were  there  in  different  herds ;  but  that  he  could  do  nothing 
further  than  ascertain  the  fact,  as  he  could  not  take  any 
action  without  witnesses. 

There  was  very  little  of  the  pony  horse  stock  left  in 
the  Cherokee  or  Creek  Nations  after  the  latter  part  of 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  433 

1862,  for  the  belligerent  Indians  of  both  sides  had  used  it 
freely  in  keeping  themselves  mounted;  besides  their  fam 
ilies  had  used  a  good  deal  of  it  for  domestic  purposes  and 
in  moving  from  place  to  place  in  the  disturbed  condition  of 
their  country.  Two  years'  hard  service,  with  inadequate 
forage,  had  worn  out  the  mounts  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
loyal  Indian  Brigade,  so  that  by  the  latter  part  of  the 
winter  of  1863-4  practically  all  the  pony  mounts  that  had 
not  died  or  been  abandoned  on  the  march  had  become  un- 
servicable  or  unfit  for  scouting  purposes,  and  the  situa 
tion  became  so  acute  that  the  only  way  Colonel  Phillips 
could  make  up  a  scout,  which  he  considered  very  impor 
tant,  was  to  borrow  ponies  from  the  women  of  the  sol 
diers  of  his  command,  to  make  out  the  complement  re 
quired. 

He  presented  the  situation  to  General  Curtis,  the  De 
partment  Commander,  and  when  the  General  made  an  in 
spection  of  the  condition  and  needs  of  the  Indian  Brigade 
in  January,  he  was  convinced  that  its  efficiency  was 
seriously  impaired  for  want  of  mounts  for  the  Indian  sol 
diers,  and  he  recommended  to  the  War  Department  that 
Colonel  Phillips  be  authorized  to  mount  one  thousand  of 
his  men  on  ponies,  which  it  was  estimated  would  not  cost 
more  than  one-fourth  of  the  amount  that  would  be  required 
to  purchase  the  same  number  of  regular  cavalry  horses, 
such  as  were  being  purchased  for  the  white  cavalry  regi 
ments  of  the  army  at  the  depots  where  such  purchases 
were  made. 

The  authority  requested  was  finally  approved  by 
General  Grant,  commanding  the  armies,  as  already  stated, 
and  returned  through  regular  channels,  and  when  the 
Colonel  was  relieved  and  ordered  to  turn  over  the  com 
mand  of  the  Indian  Brigade  to  Colonel  Wattles  on  the  last 
of  July,  the  matter  had  not  been  acted  upon  by  General 
Steele,  the  Department  Commander.  This  was  only  one 
instance  out  of  several  ^n  which  Colonel  Phillips  was  ham- 


434  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

pered  by  his  superiors  in  his  operations  by  reducing  the 
efficiency  of  his  Indian  troops  who  were  constantly  facing 
the  enemy,  and  now  that  he  had  been  removed  from  com 
mand  in  the  Indian  Territory,  predictions  were  freely  made 
that  before  the  end  of  the  year  serious  disaster  was  almost 
certain  to  come  to  the  Federal  forces  in  that  region  unless 
there  should  be  a  speedy  change  of  policy  of  the  District 
Commander  at  Fort  Smith. 

In  less  than  a  week  after  Colonel  Phillips  arrested  the 
cattle  thieves  and  reported  to  General  Thayer  that  he  was 
holding  them  at  Fort  Gibson  for  further  instructions,  he 
was  relieved  of  his  command  at  that  place  and  ordered 
to  report  to  headquarters  at  Fort  Smith.  Major-General 
Herron,  who  made  an  inspection  of  the  military  affairs 
in  the  Department  of  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory 
in  October  and  November,  1864,  reported  from  Fort  Gibson 
November  25th  that  conditions  were  badly  tangled  at  that 
place,  and  were  in  great  need  of  the  guidance  of  Colonel 
Phillips,  the  only  efficient  and  honest  commander  the 
Indians  ever  had.  General  Herron  made  the  inspection  of 
the  administration  of  affairs  in  the  Indian  Territory  under 
instructions  from  Major-General  Canby. 

The  much-talked  of  expedition  of  General  Price  into 
Missouri,  after  General  Shelby  with  his  brigade  crossed  to 
the  north  side  of  the  Arkansas,  commenced  to  take  defi 
nite  form  on  the  4th  of  August,  when  General  Smith, 
commanding  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department,  gave  Price 
his  final  instructions.  Under  these  instructions  General 
Price  was  to  take  the  mounted  forces  of  the  District  of 
Arkansas,  which  consisted  of  three  divisions,  the  divisions 
of  Generals  Fagan,  Marmaduke  and  Shelby,  with  a  com 
plement  of  artillery.  They  were  also  to  take  along  a 
supply  of  small  arms  and  artillery  ammunition  sufficient 
for  the  expedition,  as  estimated  by  its  chief  of  ordnance. 
On  the  28th  of  August  General  Price  and  staff  left  Camden 
for  Princeton  where  he  arrived  on  the  29th  and  assumed 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War  435 

command  of  the  expedition,  and  where  Generals  Pagan 
and  Marmaduke  reported  to  him.  The  next  day  he  took 
up  the  line  of  march  for  Missouri,  crossed  the  Arkansas 
River  at  Dardanelle,  and  was  joined  by  Shelby  with  his 
division  at  Pocahontas  in  Northeast  Arkansas,  where  some 
reorganizatoon  took  place.  He  was,  under  his  instructions, 
to  make  St.  Louis  his  objective,  and  should  he  be  com 
pelled  to  withdraw  from  the  State,  he  was  directed  to 
make  his  retreat  through  Kansas  and  the  Indian  Territory 
and  sweep  that  country  of  its  mules,  horses,  cattle  and 
military  supplies  of  every  kind.  This  great  movement  of 
the  Confederate  forces  quickly  became  known  to  the  South 
ern  partisan  bands  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  to 
Generals  Maxey  and  Cooper  commanding  the  Southern 
forces  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  all  commenced  display 
ing  unusual  activity. 

The  Federal  commanders  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas 
could  not  at  first  determine  Price's  objective,  and  were 
uncertain  where  to  concentrate  their  forces  to  meet  him. 
They  had  accurate  information  of  his  command  being  con 
centrated  at  Pocahontas,  Arkansas.  From  that  place  he 
could  march  by  way  of  West  Plains  and  Rolla  to  Jefferson 
City,  or  he  could  direct  his  line  of  march  farther  to  the 
eastward  by  way  of  Ironton  and  Pilot  Knob  to  St.  Louis, 
and  General  Rosecrans  concentrated  the  forces  of  the  Mili 
tary  Districts  of  his  Department,  to  meet  either  of  these 
movements  at  the  same  time  covering  St.  Louis  behind 
fortifications  manned  by  the  troops  of  General  A.  J. 
Smith's  division  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  and  some 
other  troops  collected  for  the  purpose,  and  several  thou 
sand  Missouri  Militia  ordered  out  for  emergency. 

While  these  operations  of  General  Price  were  in  prog 
ress,  Generals  Maxey  and  Cooper  were  preparing  an  expe 
dition  in  co-operation  with  them,  an  expedition  under  Gen 
eral  Watie  with  a  brigade  of  Southern  Indians  to  make  a 
raid  into  Southern  Kansas  by  marching  up  the  Neosho 


436  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

River,  but  information  received  of  the  movements  of  Fed 
eral  troops  at  Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Gibson  caused  them  to 
change  the  plan  of  Watie's  movement  and  to  make  it  de 
pend  upon  other  movements. 

On  the  8th  of  August  a  train  of  two  hundred  wagons, 
which  had  just  come  down  from  Fort  Scott  with  supplies 
for  the  troops  at  Fort  Smith,  after  unloading,  started  back 
to  Fort  Scott,  escorted  by  the  Second  Kansas  Cavalry, 
Colonel  Cloud  commanding.  He  had  recently  been  ordered 
up  from  Clarksville,  with  his  regiment,  where  he  had  been 
stationed  several  months  for  operations  in  that  section. 
His  entire  regiment  did  not  go  on  through  with  the  train 
to  Fort  Scott,  but  some  of  the  companies  were  held  at 
Fort  Gibson  in  connection  with  guarding  and  putting  up 
hay  for  the  Government  in  the  vicinity  of  that  place.  A 
large  number  of  Union  refugees  who  had  come  into  Fort 
Smith  from  different  parts  of  Western  Arkansas  accom 
panied  the  train  to  Kansas. 

These  refugee  families  were  nearly  all  very  destitute, 
and  as  the  Government  had  been  furnishing  them  with 
subsistence,  it  was  desirable  that  they  should  go  north 
so  that  they  could  be  taken  care  of  without  embarrassing 
the  operations  of  the  army  by  consuming  the  supplies 
which  were  needed  by  the  troops. 

General  Cooper,  commanding  the  Confederate  forces  in 
the  field  in  the  Indian  Territory,  was  kept  advised  of 
the  movements  of  the  Federal  trains  arriving  and  depart 
ing  from  Fort  Smith,  and  of  the  strength  of  the  Federal 
detachments  at  the  different  stations  employed  in  guarding 
and  putting  up  hay,  and  he  determined  to  use  his  large 
mounted  force  to  burn  the  hay,  capture  or  drive  off  the 
men  at  the  hay  stations,  and  if  possible  capture  or  destroy 
some  of  the  trains  en  route  to  or  from  Fort  Scott  to  Fort 
Smith.  It  was  now  the  season  of  the  year  when  there 
V7a&  usually  a  low  stage  of  water  in  the  Arkansas  and 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  437 

Grand  Rivers,  and  the  Arkansas  was  already  fordable  at 
several  places  above  and  below  Fort  Gibson,  so  that  there 
was  no  great  risk  in  sending  a  strong  force  of  his  troops  to 
the  north  side  to  strike  some  of  the  Federal  hay  camps  or 
trains  en  route  to  or  from  Fort  Scott. 

General  Thayer,  commanding  at  Fort  Smith,  knew  of 
the  low  stage  of  water  in  the  river,  and  knew  that  it  was 
the  purpose  of  General  Cooper,  with  his  large  mounted 
force  of  Texans  and  Indians,  to  attack  the  Federal  supply 
line  between  Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Scott  and  the  different 
hay  camps  at  Cabin  Creek  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Gib 
son,  and  yet  he  permitted  a  large  part  of  his  infantry  to 
be  scattered  in  detachments  of  one  or  two  campanies  at 
the  different  hay  camps,  with  no  barrier  between  them 
and  the  enemy  than  the  Arkansas  River.  The  latter  part 
of  August  Captain  John  R.  Graton,  with  five  companies 
of  the  First  Kansas  Colored  Infantry,  escorted  a  train  from 
Fort  Smith  to  Fort  Gibson  en  route  to  Fort  Scott  for  sup 
plies  for  the  army. 

From  Fort  Gibson  detachments  of  the  Second,  Sixth 
and  Fourteenth  Regiments  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  some  In 
dian  troops,  accompanied  the  train  north,  while  four  com 
panies  of  the  Colored  Infantry  were  ordered  to  the  hay 
camps  near  Fort  Gibson  and  at  Flat  Rock,  twelve  miles 
above  on  the  west  side  of  Grand  River. 

At  these  hay  camps  the  Colored  Infantry  were  em 
ployed  in  cutting  and  putting  up  the  hay  as  well  as  guard 
ing  it,  and  during  the  day  were  generally  scattered  over 
two  or  three  miles  of  prairie.  Captain  E.  A.  Barker,  Sec 
ond  Kansas  Cavalry,  with  detachments  of  two  companies 
of  that  regiment,  was  in  command  of  the  camp,  and  he 
had  only  125  men  in  his  entire  force,  including  the 
Colored  Infantry.  His  camp  was  nearly  two  miles  from 
the  Grand  River  timber,  on  a  prairie  branch  along  which, 
every  hundred  yards  or  so,  there  were  pools  or  lagoons 
from  a  few  yards  to  fifty  yards  long,  and  in  places  per- 


438  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

haps  two  feet  deep,  and  connected  by  narrow  threads  of 
water.  The  low  banks  of  the  lagoons  were  generally  pre 
cipitous  or  caving,  with  overhanging  boughs  of  small  wil 
lows.  In  some  of  them  there  were  numerous  water  lilies, 
with  large  palm-like  leaves  floating  on  the  surface. 

Captain  Barker  seems  to  have  used  proper  vigilance 
for  the  protection  of  his  camp  and  men.  From  his 
mounted  detachment  he  kept  out  scouting  parties  to  the 
southwest,  well  in  the  direction  of  the  fords  on  the  Ver 
digris  River.  In  the  afternoon  of  September  16th,  his 
scouts  came  in  and  reported  that  the  enemy  had  crossed 
the  Verdigris  in  large  force  and  were  advancing  on  his 
camp.  As  soon  as  he  could  collect  his  men  together,  he 
formed  them  on  a  ravine  in  the  rear  of  his  camp,  and 
taking  a  small  mounted  detachment,  rode  forward  in  the 
direction  of  the  Verdigris  about  two  miles  to  reconnoiter 
and  ascertain  the  strength  and  designs  of  the  enemy.  On 
reaching  a  high  ridge  in  the  prairie  he  saw  the  entire  Con 
federate  force  of  Generals  Gano  and  Watie  before  him, 
advancing  with  six  pieces  of  artillery.  But  before  this 
General  Gano  had  ascended  a  high  hill,  from  which  he 
could  plainly  see  with  his  field  glass  the  Federal  camp, 
the  hay-ricks,  the  mowing  machines,  and  the  men  at  work 
upon  the  vast  prairie.  On  descending  to  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  where  his  command  had  halted,  he  sent  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Welch,  with  two  Texas  regiments,  to  his  right, 
General  Watie,  with  his  Indian  brigade,  to  the  left,  while 
he  brought  up  his  center  in  his  advance  on  the  Federal 
camp.  In  falling  back  to  his  camp,  Captain  Barker  was 
closely  pursued  by  the  enemy,  and  by  the  time  he  dis 
mounted  his  detachment  and  formed  the  men  on  those 
already  in  line  in  the  ravine,  the  Confederate  Texans  and 
Indians  had  approached  within  two  hundred  yards  and 
commenced  an  attack  from  five  different  points. 

After  fighting  the  Confederate  forces  for  half  an  hour 
and  repulsing  three  cavalry  charges,  he  determined  to 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  439 

mount  all  his  men  who  had  horses,  make  a  desperate 
charge,  and  break  through  General  Gano's  line,  leaving  the 
Colored  Infantry  and  dismounted  cavalry  to  fight  their 
way  to  Grand  River  timber  if  possible. 

He  made  the  charge  through  General  Watie's  line,  and 
got  through  with  fifteen  men,  but  the  balance  of  his 
mounted  detachment  of  about  forty  men  were  cut  off  and 
captured.  The  colored  soldiers  now  rallied  under  Lieu 
tenant  Thomas  B.  Sutherland,  First  Kansas  Colored  In 
fantry,  and  fought  the  Confederate  forces  for  nearly  two 
hours,  from  the  ravine,  finding  some  shelter  under  the 
low  shelving  banks  of  the  stream.  As  the  Confederates 
had  not  been  giving  any  quarter  to  colored  soldiers,  the 
colored  detachment  considered  it  a  struggle  in  which  they 
proposed  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible,  and  used 
their  ammunition  to  the  last  ball  and  cartridge.  George 
W.  Duval,  an  intelligent  colored  soldier  of  the  detachment, 
stated  that  the  only  way  he  and  his  comrades  could  hold 
the  Confederates  off  was  to  fire  a  volley  into  them  when 
they  came  up  within  range,  and  then  reload  and  be 
prepared  for  them  when  they  came  up  again.  The  Con 
federates  were  held  off  in  this  manner  until  most  of  the 
colored  soldiers  expended  their  ammunition,  and  then 
Lieutenant  Sutherland  told  them  that  they  would  have  to 
do  the  best  they  could  to  save  themselves.  After  this  it 
was  simply  a  massacre,  for  the  colored  soldiers  were  pur 
sued  and  shot  down  without  any  demand  for  their  sur 
render,  and  about  forty  were  killed,  eight  captured  and 
ten  escaped. 

It  was  near  sunset  when  the  fight  ended,  and  to  save 
themselves  some  of  the  colored  soldiers  had  remarkably 
narrow  escapes  from  their  relentless  foe.  After  his  am 
munition  gave  out,  the  soldier  Duval  secreted  himself  in  a 
drift  in  the  prairie  branch,  and  when  the  Confederates 
put  out  their  pickets  that  night,  he  crawled  out  between 
them,  taking  his  gun  with  him. 

Another  colored  soldier  jumped  into  a  lagoon  which 


440  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

was  deep  enough  to  conceal  his  body,  and  he  managed  by 
lying  on  his  back  to  expose  enough  of  his  nose  above  the 
water  under  the  overhanging  willows  to  breathe  freely. 
And  another  colored  soldier  jumped  into  a  lagoon  deep 
enough  to  conceal  his  body,  and,  lying  on  his  back,  covered 
his  nose,  just  out  of  the  water  enough  to  enable  him  to 
breathe,  by  the  broad  leaves  of  the  water  lily.  These  sol 
diers  who  thus  secreted  themselves  heard  the  Confederates 
all  around  them,  frequently  only  a  few  yards  distant,  pur 
suing  and  shooting  down  their  comrades  in  the  most  heart 
less  manner. 

After  completing  his  work  of  slaughter  and  burning 
the  hay  and  mowing  machines  at  the  camp,  General  Gano 
encamped  that  night  on  the  field,  and  the  next  morning 
marched  north  to  meet  the  Federal  supply  train,  which 
he  was  informed  was  coming  down  from  Fort  Scott.  A 
supply  train  of  205  Government  wagons  left  Fort  Scott  on 
the  12th  of  September,  loaded  with  army  supplies  for  Fort 
Gibson  and  Fort  Smith,  escorted  by  260  men  of  the  Second 
Sixth  and  Fourteenth  Regiments  Kansas  Cavalry,  Major 
Henry  Hopkins,  Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  commanding. 
There  were  also  ninety  wagons  loaded  with  sutler's  sup 
plies  and  four  or  five  ambulances  in  the  train.  At  Baxter 
Springs,  Major  Hopkins  received  a  re-enforcement  of  one 
hundred  Indians,  under  Lieutenant  A.  J.  Waterhouse,  from 
Fort  Gibson.  He  also  received  a  dispatch  from  Colonel 
Blair,  commanding  the  post  of  Fort  Scott,  that  informa 
tion  had  come  to  him  that  General  Price  at  the  head  of 
his  army  for  the  invasion  of  Missouri  had  crossed  the 
Arkansas  River  at  Dardanelle,  and  was  moving  north. 
This  dispatch  was  immediately  sent  to  Colonel  Wattles, 
commanding  the  post  of  Fort  Gibson,  with  the  urgent  re 
quest  that  he  send  up  all  the  troops  that  could  be  spared 
from  that  post  to  strengthen  the  escort  to  the  train,  as 
an  attack  from  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  was  antici 
pated. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  441 

In  the  meantime  Colonel  Wattles  had  heard  of  General 
Cooper's  preparations  for  a  hostile  movement  north  of  the 
Arkansas  River,  and  sent  forward  two  detachments  of 
Cherokees,  amounting  to  310  men,  under  Lieutenants 
Whitlow  and  Palmer,  to  re-enforce  the  escort  to  the  train. 
On  receiving  further  information  of  the  movements  of  the 
enemy,  he  sent  a  dispatch  to  Major  Hopkins,  stating  that 
the  Confederates,  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  strong,  had 
crossed  the  Arkansas  River  and  were  moving  north  in 
the  direction  of  Cabin  Creek,  and  directing  him  to  move 
with  the  train  to  that  station,  where  there  was  a  stockade, 
and  where  he  would  be  joined  by  the  detachments  which 
were  to  re-enforce  him.  The  Major  moved  forward  with 
the  train  and  escort  on  the  military  road  from  the  Neosho 
River,  arriving  at  Cabin  Creek  at  noon  on  the  18th  of 
September,  where  he  was  joined  by  the  Cherokees,  making 
his  entire  force  670  men  of  white  and  Indian  troops.  He 
was  further  informed  that  he  would  receive  at  Cabin 
Creek  another  re-enforcement  of  six  companies  of  In 
dians  and  two  howitzers  under  Major  Foreman  from  Fort 
Gibson. 

Having  rested  his  men  during  the  night,  on  the  scene 
of  the  action  at  Flat  Rock,  the  next  morning  General  Gano 
marched  north  to  Wolf  Creek  and  encamped  for  the  night, 
without  having  obtained  any  definite  information  in  regard 
to  the  movements  of  the  Federal  supply  train.  Leaving 
General  Watie  in  charge  of  his  camp,  he  took  four  hun 
dred  men  and  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  moved  north  on 
the  morning  of  the  18th,  until  he  came  in  sight  of  the 
train  at  Cabin  Creek.  He  then  secreted  his  command  in 
the  timber  and  sent  a  courier  back  to  General  Watie  to 
bring  up  the  balance  of  his  troops  and  the  other  four  guns 
of  his  battery. 

Directly  after  arriving  at  Cabin  Creek  that  day,  Major 
Hopkins  took  twenty-five  men  of  the  Second  Kansas 
Cavalry  and  moved  forward  three  miles  south  of  the  sta- 


442  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

tion  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  if  possible  the  posi 
tion  and  strength  of  the  enemy  in  his  front,  and  came  upon 
the  force  under  General  Gano,  occupying  a  ravine  in  the 
prairie.  He  returned  at  once  to  the  train ;  had  it  parked  in 
close  order  in  the  rear  of  the  stockade,  strengthened  his 
pickets  and  formed  his  men  in  line  for  an  attack. 

It  was  nearly  twelve  o'clock  that  night  when  the 
balance  of  General  Gano's  force  under  General  Watie  came 
up;  but  the  moon  was  shining  bright,  and  he  moved  for 
ward  at  once  over  the  prairie  to  attack  the  Federal  position 
in  the  edge  of  the  timber  on  the  south  side  of  Cabin  Creek. 
When  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Federal  camp,  he  deployed 
his  troops  in  line  of  battle,  his  own  brigade  of  Texans 
forming  his  right,  and  General  Watie's  Indian  Brigade  his 
left,  with  HowelPs  battery  in  position  near  his  right  cen 
ter,  supported  by  three  companies  of  Texans.  He  then 
advanced  at  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  up  to 
within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  Federal  line,  when 
the  troops  under  Major  Hopkins  opened  fire  upon  the 
enemy. 

Almost  instantly  General  Gano's  forces  replied  with 
small  arms,  and  the  six  guns  of  his  battery  commenced 
playing  upon  the  Federal  position  with  shot  and  shell  with 
demoralizing  effects  upon  the  teams  of  the  large  train, 
crowded  as  they  were  in  as  small  space  as  possible. 

Up  to  the  opening  of  the  fight,  Major  Hopkins  was  led 
to  believe,  from  the  information  obtained,  that  the  Con 
federate  force  in  his  front  did  not  exceed  eight  hundred 
men,  and  was  without  artillery.  When  he  found  that  they 
were  supported  by  a  battery,  and  saw  their  long  double 
lines  and  was  able  to  form  something  like  a  correct  esti 
mate  of  their  numbers,  he  was  satisfied  he  could  not  hold 
his  position  very  long  after  daylight. 

The  firing  was  kept  up  at  intervals  on  both  sides  until 
after  daylight,  when  Gano  moved  a  section  of  his  battery 
to  a  position  on  his  left,  which  enabled  him  to  cross-fire 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CMl  War.  443 

the  Federal  camp  at  a  range  of  less  than  two  hundred 
yards.  In  the  early  part  of  the  action,  when  the  shot 
and  bursting  shells  from  the  Confederate  battery  came 
crashing  through  train  and  timber,  a  good  many  teamsters 
and  wagon-masters  became  frightened,  and  cutting  one  or 
more  mules  loose  from  the  teams,  mounted  them  and 
rode  away,  believing  that  the  train  was  hopelessly  lost. 
Finding  that  his  position  was  becoming  untenable,  Major 
Hopkins  endeavored  to  rally  the  teamsters  and  wagon- 
masters,  to  remove  the  train  to  the  north  side  of  the 
creek  on  the  road  to  Fort  Scott;  but  before  his  efforts 
were  successful,  General  Gano  ordered  two  Indian  regi 
ments  around  the  Federal  right  and  rear  to  take  posses 
sion  of  the  road  and  prevent  any  of  the  teams  or  Federal 
troops  from  escaping  on  the  road  to  Fort  Scott.  After  day 
light  an  incessant  storm  of  shot  and  bursting  shells  swept 
through  the  camp  and  train,  killing  and  wounding  many 
of  the  mules,  stampeding  the  teams,  and  causing  inextrica 
ble  entanglements  in  the  absence  of  the  teamsters. 

The  bluff  that  rose  almost  abruptly  from  the  creek  in 
:he  rear  of  the  camp,  the  stockade,  and  a  narrow  ravine 
on  the  Federal  right  afforded  much  protection  to  the  Fed 
eral  soldiers  during  the  terrible  artillery  fire.  Where  their 
line  was  much  exposed  to  this  fire  they  were  obliged  to 
lie  down  prone  upon  the  ground  behind  logs  and  felled 
trees,  in  depressions  or  behind  elevations  of  the  ground  for 
protection.  Having  gained  a  position  on  the  Federal  right 
and  rear,  General  Gano  commenced  driving  in  the  Federal 
skirmishers  from  that  quarter,  when  they  came  to  a  sud 
den  stand,  that  halted  the  Confederates. 

Then  General  Gano  ordered  up  Colonel  Gurley's  Texas 
Regiment,  and  led  it  in  person  in  a  charge  to  break  the 
Federal  line  which  was  formed  with  the  ravine  in  its 
front,  filled  with  Federal  soldiers  lying  down.  When  the 
charging  column  approached  within  twenty-five  yards  of 
the  ravine,  these  soldiers  who  were  lying  down  unseen 


444  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  tin  Civil  War. 

by  the  enemy  rose  from  the  ground  and  poured  a  terrific 
volley  into  the  ranks  of  the  Confederates,  throwing  them 
into  confusion  and  causing  them  to  retire.  At  the  open 
ing  of  the  fight  the  Federal  line  faced  nearly  south;  but 
now  that  the  right  was  driven  back  it  faced  nearly  west, 
and  could  not  be  easily  broken  by  direct  assault.  On 
being  repulsed  in  front  of  the  ravine,  General  Gano  or 
dered  parts  of  three  Texas  regiments  still  further  to  the 
Federal  right,  flanking  this  new  position,  and  forcing 
Major  Hopkins  to  evacuate  the  camp  and  retire  through 
the  timber  along  the  creek  east  in  the  direction  of  Grand 
River.  He  encouraged  his  men  to  hold  out  as  long  as 
possible,  hoping  that  the  re-enforcement  of  six  com 
panies  of  Indians  and  two  howitzers  from  Fort  Gibson 
would  come  up  and  attack  the  enemy  in  the  rear. 

Even  after  evacuating  his  camp,  he  hoped  to  meet  this 
re-enforcement  and  to  return  and  make  an  effort  to  re 
capture  at  least  a  part  of  the  train.  He  marched  at  once 
to  Fort  Gibson,  fifty  miles  distant,  without  hearing  from 
the  re-enforcement,  which  was  marching  on  a  road  east  of 
his  line  of  march. 

The  entire  train  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Confed 
erates,  but  they  were  able  to  get  away  with  only  130 
wagons,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  teamsters  and  dis 
mounted  soldiers  had  cut  so  many  mules  out  of  the  teams 
to  ride  away  on  when  it  became  evident  that  the  train 
could  not  be  saved.  A  large  number  of  the  mules,  too, 
were  killed  by  the  artillery  fire;  others  were  killed  and 
injured  in  stampeding  and  running  over  the  bluff. 

This  was  the  most  serious  disaster  the  Federal  forces 
met  with  in  the  Indian  Territory  during  the  war.  All  the 
captured  wagons  and  supplies  that  General  Gano  could  not 
take  away  he  destroyed  as  far  as  practicable.  He  also 
burned  two  or  three  thousand  tons  of  hay  put  up  in  large 
ricks. 

After  fitting  up  as  many  captured  teams  as  possible  to 
take  off  the  supplies,  he  started  south  and  recrossed  the 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  445 

Arkansas  River  about  fifteen  miles  above  Fort  Gibson. 
The  evening  after  the  fight  he  met  near  Prior's  Creek 
Colonel  J.  M.  Williams,  with  a  brigade  consisting  of  parts 
of  the  First  and  Second  Kansas  Colored  and  the  Eleventh 
United  States  Colored  Infantry  and  a  battery  of  parrott 
guns,  coming  up  from  Fort  Smith,  and  marching  to  the 
relief  of  the  train.  The  Colonel  fell  back  a  short  distance 
to  a  strong  position  convenient  to  water,  and  as  soon  as  the 
enemy  came  up  in  range,  opened  upon  them  with  his  par 
rott  guns  and  drove  them  back.  General  Gano  brought  up 
his  guns  and  replied,  and  then  the  batteries  of  both  sides 
kept  up  their  fire  at  long  range  for  an  hour  or  30  until  near 
ly  dark,  when  most  of  the  Confederate  troops  were  formed 
in  a  long  line  on  a  high  ridge  in  the  prairie,  making  an 
immense  display  of  force,  to  cover  the  captured  train  while 
it  was  being  hurried  forward  to  south.we.st  in  the  direction 
of  the  Verdigris.  Colonel  Williams  had  marched  upwards 
of  eighty  miles  in  less  than  two  days,  and  his  men  were 
so  worn  out  that  he  was  unable  to  commence  immediate 
pursuit.  That  night  the  Confederates  built  fires  along  the 
ridge  on  which  they  formed,  to  keep  up  the  appearance  of 
their  presence;  but  when  morning  came  they  were  gone. 

This  was  the  last  and  only  successful  expedition  the 
Confederates  made  north  of  the  Arkansas  River  in  the 
Indian  Territory  after  that  section  was  occupied  by  the 
Federal  forces  in  the  spring  of  1862. 

General  Gano  reported  the  casualties  of  the  Texas 
brigade  at  Cabin  Creek,  seven  men  killed  and  thirty-eight 
wounded,  including  four  officers,  one  of  whom  was  mortally 
wounded. 

General  Watie  reported  one  officer  killed  and  four 
wounded  in  his  brigade,  but  does  not  state  how  many 
enlisted  men  he  had  killed  and  wounded.  As  far  as  could  be 
ascertained,  Major  Hopkins'  casualties  were  seven  men 
killed,  six  wounded,  and  twenty-four  missing.  The  number 
of  citizen  teamsters  killed  and  wounded  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  reported  by  the  wagon-masters. 


446  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

In  the  excitement  of  the  closing  scenes  of  the  action 
the  forces  of  Major  Hopkins  became  scattered,  most  of 
those  on  the  north  side  of  Cabin  Creek  going  to  Baxter 
Springs  and  places  in  Southern  Kansas,  and  some  to 
Neosho,  Missouri,  but  generally  kept  together  in  small 
parties.  The  Confederates  were  too  busy  in  securing  as 
much  of  the  train  as  possible  to  attempt  pursuit  of  Major 
Hopkins'  disintegrated  forces;  besides  they  could  not  have 
pursued  them  to  advantage,  for  the  Federal  soldiers  and 
teamsters  who  did  not  accompany  Major  Hopkins  to  Fort 
Gibson  kept  to  the  timber  and  brush  until  they  felt  that 
they  were  out  of  danger. 

The  report  of  this  disaster  and  the  advance  of  Price's 
Army  into  Southeast  Missouri,  moving  north  rapidly  in  the 
direction  of  St.  Louis,  created  intense  excitement  in  Mis 
souri  and  Kansas,  which  did  not  subside  until  the  first  of 
November,  when  the  Federal  pursuit  of  the  Confederate 
forces  ended  at  Pleasant  Bluff  on  the  Arkansas  River 
above  Fort  Smith  in  the  Indian  Territory,  General  Price 
having  lost  all  his  trains  and  artillery  except  two  pieces, 
and  his  army,  such  as  he  had  been  able  to  keep  together 
after  entering  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory,  in  a 
starving  condition,  being  obliged  to  live  on  horse  and  mule 
meat  and  any  corn  they  could  secure  in  the  country. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  447 

CHAPTER  XXV 
GENERAL  PRICE'S  MISSOURI  EXPEDITION 

A  brief  reference  to  General  Price's  Missouri  Expedi 
tion  must  be  made,  for  under  his  instructions  from  Gen 
eral  E.  Kirby  Smith,  commanding  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Department,  he  was  to  make  St.  Louis  his  objective,  and 
should  he  be  compelled  to  withdraw  from  the  State,  he  was 
instructed  to  retreat  via  Kansas  City  through  Kansas  and 
the  Indian  Territory,  sweeping  the  country  through 
which  he  passed  of  the  cattle,  horses,  mules,  and  of  all 
kinds  of  military  supplies. 

The  Confederate  commander  had  a  triumphant  march 
after  he  crossed  the  Arkansas  River  at  Dardanelle  with 
his  ten  thousand  mounted  veterans,  with  a  complement  of 
artillery,  through  Northeast  Arkansas,  where  he  was  re- 
enforced  by  General  Shelby  with  about  eight  thousand 
men,  and  then  continued  his  march  through  Southeast 
Missouri  until  he  arrived  before  Pilot  Knob,  where  he  re 
ceived  a  check  by  the  Federal  forces  under  General  Ewing, 
and  in  his  assault  on  Fort  Davidson  lost  heavily  in  killed 
and  wounded,  without  compensating  advantage,  for  Gen 
eral  Pawing  blew  up  his  magazines  and  spiked  his  heavy 
guns  and  withdrew  his  command  to  Rolla.  The  movements 
and  objective  of  General  Price  were  now  disclosed  to  the 
Federal  Commander  Department  of  the  Missouri,  to  be 
St.  Louis,  and  there  was  a  rapid  concentration  of  the  Fed 
eral  forces  of  the  State  to  operate  on  the  front,  flanks, 
and  rear  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  when  it  arrived 
near  the  outer  fortifications  of  St.  Louis,  the  militia  and 
other  forces  were  called  out  to  man  them.  General  A.  J. 
Smith's  Veteran  Division,  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  was 
passing  Cairo  on  transports  on  the  way  to  join  General 
Sherman's  Army  in  Georgia,  and  when  Price's  movements 
had  developed  sufficiently  to  show  that  his  objective  was 
St.  Louis,  General  Rosecrans  telegraphed  General  Halleck, 
Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Army,  Washington,  requesting  that 


n48  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

General  Smith's  division  be  ordered  to  St.  Louis  for  the 
defense  of  the  city  and  to  operate  against  Price.  The 
request  was  granted  and  General  Smith  brought  his  troops 
up  the  Mississippi  River  to  St.  Louis  on  transports  and 
they  participated  in  all  the  operations  against  Price  until 
he  passed  west  of  Harrisonville  on  his  retreat  south  down 
the  Missouri-Kansas  State  line. 

The  Confederate  Commander  was  now  having  no  gay 
and  grand  parade,  feasting  and  carousing  as  his  army  was 
in  marching  through  Southeast  Missouri,  sweeping  aside 
the  detachments  of  the  State  Militia  gathered  in  his  front 
to  oppose  his  march.  The  Federal  forces  had  been  con 
centrated  against  him  and  he  had  been  fighting  almost 
continuously  after  he  was  forced  to  turn  west  at  St.  Louis, 
and  in  Western  Missouri  the  Federal  commanders  of  the 
Departments  of  Missouri  and  Kansas  concentrated  their 
forces  against  him,  and  at  the  battle  of  Westport  forced 
him  to  turn  south,  losing  part  of  his  artillery  in  the  action 
at  Independence,  where  he  was  overtaken  by  General  Pleas- 
anton's  forces  of  the  Department  of  Missouri. 

After  the  battle  of  Westport,  a  suburb  of  Kansas  City, 
he  was  pushed  so  closely  by  the  forces  of  Generals  Rose- 
crans  and  Curtis  on  his  flanks  and  rear  that  he  did  not 
have  time  to  go  more  than  two  or  three  miles  into  Kansas, 
and  at  Mine  Creek  in  Linn  County,  Kansas,  he  was  over 
taken  by  the  Missouri  forces,  and  compelled  to  make  a 
stand,  and  in  the  engagement  that  followed  lost  all  his 
artillery  but  two  pieces,  and  upwards  of  one  thousand 
prisoners,  including  Generals  Marmaduke  and  Cabell  and 
five  colonels  and  much  of  his  transportation  and  loot. 

He  had  it  on  his  programme  to  take  the  important 
post  of  Fort  Scott,  with  its  vast  amount  of  army  sup 
plies,  but  the  Federal  forces  pushed  him  so  vigorously,  that 
from  Mine  Creek  his  movements  were  a  demoralized  rout, 
and  at  the  crossing  of  the  Marmaton  River  six  or  seven 
miles  east  of  Fort  Scott  he  was  compelled  to  blow  up 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  449 

his  ammunition  train  and  destroy  nearly  all  his  transporta 
tion  with  the  loot  his  troops  had  gathered  up  on  his  march. 
From  the  Marmaton  River  to  Newtonia,  a  distance  of  about 
sixty  miles,  his  army  was  still  in  a  demoralized  rout  and 
stampede,  not  taking  the  time  to  make  a  halt  and  unable 
to  bring  their  train  along  with  them.  At  Newtonia  he 
endeavored  to  rest  a  little  and  secure  food  and  forage  for 
his  men  and  animals,  but  was  pursued  and  overtaken  by 
the  Federal  forces  of  Generals  Blunt  and  Sanborn,  and 
after  a  sharp  engagement,  routed  again  and  pursued  in  the 
direction  of  Pineville  and  Maysville. 

At  Maysville  the  Confederate  army  passed  into  the 
Cherokee  Nation  and  marched  south  to  the  Illinois  River 
near  the  State  line,  and  thence  southwest  until  it  struck 
the  Sallisaw  River  and  marched  down  that  stream  some 
distance  and  then  turned  south  and  crossed  the  Arkansas 
River  at  Pleasant  Bluff,  after  which  Price  with  most  of  his 
Missouri  troops  marched  southwest  through  the  Choctaw 
and  Chickasaw  Nations,  passing  through  Northfork,  Perry- 
ville  and  Boggy  Depot  and  other  places  on  the  Overland 
Mail  Route  and  crossed  Red  River  and  passed  into  Texas 
north  of  Bonham.  From  that  place  his  march  was  more 
leisurely  down  through  the  counties  bordering  on  Red 
River  to  Laynesport,  where  he  arrived  December  2d,  which 
ended  the  expedition,  and  which,  according  to  his  Itinerary, 
embraced  a  march  of  1,434  miles,  after  leaving  Princeton. 

Before  crossing  Red  River,  however,  his  command  had 
been  greatly  reduced  by  killed,  wounded,  prisoners,  deser 
tions,  and  also  by  companies,  regiments  and  brigades  leav 
ing  him  with  his  permission  at  different  places  on  the 
march  to  return  to  the  sections  where  they  were  organized. 

His  march  until  he  was  turned  south  at  Westport  had 
been  one  of  feasting  and  living  off  the  best  the  country 
afforded,  and  sweeping  the  Federal  forces  from  his  front; 
but  after  that  fight  all  was  changed,  for  being  attacked  in 
front,  flanks  and  rear,  with  the  loss  of  killed,  wounded, 
prisoners,  generals  and  artillery,  his  army  commenced  to 


450  Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

disintegrate,  and  when  it  arrived  at  Newtonia,  was  in  a 
deplorable  condition,  which  increased  in  its  sufferings  and 
hardships  as  he  retreated  south. 

He  had  been  able  to  penetrate  only  a  few  miles  into 
Kansas  and  was  pushed  so  closely  that  his  detachments 
were  not  given  sufficient  time  to  collect  horses,  mules, 
cattle  or  food  supplies,  and  after  entering  the  Indian  coun 
try  such  supplies  were  too  scanty  to  give  much  relief  to 
his  starving  and  shivering  horde  for  his  troops  were  be 
ginning  to  encounter  the  first  touches  of  winter  weather. 

He  claimed  to  have  taken  out  with  him  several  thou 
sand  recruits;  but  they  were  mostly  members  of  Southern 
partisan  bands  and  desperate  characters  whom  the  loyal, 
law-abiding  people  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas  were  glad  to 
have  leave  the  country;  his  expedition  was  certainly  a 
benefit  to  the  loyal  people  of  the  country  as  far  as  taking 
out  recruits  was  concerned. 

A  feeling  of  envy  or  jealousy  was  developed  between 
Generals  Rosecrans  and  Curtis,  the  commanders  of  the 
Departments  of  Missouri  and  Kansas,  and  their  subordi 
nates  the  latter  part  of  the  campaign  that  prevented  har 
monious  co-operation  of  their  forces  to  the  last,  which 
allowed  Price  to  escape  with  the  greater  part  of  his  army, 
and  came  near  permitting  him  to  rest,  reorganize,  recruit 
and  provision  his  army  in  Southwest  Missouri  and  North 
west  Arkansas,  with  food  supplies  and  forage,  for  the  peo 
ple  in  Southwest  Missouri  had  been  fairly  well  protected 
by  the  loyal  Militia  of  the  State  and  had  raised  abundant 
crops  of  corn,  wheat,  oats  and  hay  that  season,  and  were 
beginning  to  get  a  start  in  raising  cattle,  horses,  mules 
and  hogs. 

General  Rosecrans  did  not  accompany  his  army  south 
of  Warrensburg,  and  General  Pleasanton,  his  ranking  gen 
eral  in  the  field,  left  it  at  Fort  Scott  and  returned  to 
Warrensburg,  at  the  full  tide  of  success  of  the  combined 
forces  of  the  two  departments.  As  General  Rosecrans  did 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  451 

not  accompany  the  army  in  the  pflrsuit  of  Price,  General 
Curtis  was  the  ranking  officer  in  the  field,  and  after  sup 
plying  the  troops  with  rations  and  ammunition  at  Fort 
Scott,  ordered  them  to  take  up  the  pursuit  again  except 
those  who  had  returned  to  Warrensburg  with  General 
Pleasanton,  and  overtook  Price  at  Newtonia  and  routed  him 
again  with  the  assistance  of  General  Sanborn's  brigade  of 
the  Missouri  forces.  General  Rosecrans  having  recalled 
all  his  forces  from  the  pursuit,  General  Curtis,  who  was 
on  the  field  at  Newtonia,  did  not  feel  strong  enough  to 
continue  it  with  the  Kansas  forces,  the  Kansas  Militia 
having  been  sent  home  at  Fort  Scott  and  he  retired  twelve 
miles  to  Neosho,  and  reflecting  over  the  situation,  tele 
graphed  to  General  Halleck,  Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Army, 
who  replied  that  General  Grant  desired  that  Price  be  pur 
sued  to  the  Arkansas  River,  or  at  least  until  he  encoun 
tered  the  forces  of  General  Steele  or  Reynolds  in  the  De 
partment  of  Arkansas. 

On  receipt  of  this  dispatch  at  midnight,  General  Curtis 
got  up  and  immediately  sent  couriers  to  Generals  Sanborn 
and  McNeil  of  Rosecrans*  forces,  who  were  on  the  march 
to  their  stations,  to  return  at  once  and  join  him  at  Cass- 
ville,  in  the  further  pursuit  of  Price.  The  available  cavalry 
of  Sanborn's  and  McNeil's  brigades  joined  General  Curtis 
and  he  took  up  the  pursuit  of  Price  again,  with  some  loss  of 
time,  but  arrived  at  Fayetteville  in  time  to  relieve  Colonel 
Harrison  who  was  besieged  by  General  Fagan's  division, 
which  had  been  detached  by  General  Price  to  take  in  the 
Federal  command  at  that  place,  with  such  supplies  as  it 
had  on  hand;  but  on  the  approach  of  the  Federal  forces 
General  Fagan  abandoned  the  siege  and  rejoined  Price  near 
Cane  Hill,  where  he  proposed  to  rest  and  reorganize  his 
forces.  He  was  not  allowed  to  do  this,  for  General  Curtis 
continued  the  pursuit  of  the  Confederate  army  through  the 
Cherokee  Nation  to  the  Arkansas  River,  and  came  upon 
the  rear  guard  of  the  enemy  just  as  they  were  crossing  the 


452  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

river,  and  on  the  arrival  of  a  battery  a  few  rounds  of  shot 
and  shell  were  thrown  into  the  timber  on  the  south  side  of 
it,  and  the  roar  of  this  artillery  firing  resounding  through 
the  forests  carried  to  the  camp  of  the  starving  Confed 
erates,  the  parting  farewell  of  the  Federal  forces,  and  a 
feeling  of  satisfaction  to  the  gallant  old  leader,  General 
Curtis,  who  had  not  permitted  General  Price  to  rest  and 
reorganize  his  army. 

The  constant  marching  and  fighting  of  most  of  the 
Confederate  forces  for  more  than  three  months,  from  the 
time  they  left  Princeton,  Arkansas,  the  last  of  August, 
until  they  arrived  at  Laynesport,  Texas,  entailed  the  sever 
est  hardships  upon  the  men  and  animals  of  the  expedition. 
Many  mounts  of  the  troops  and  the  transportation  animals 
that  had  become  exhausted  and  worn  out  from  hard  serv 
ice  were  left  on  the  roads  over  which  the  army  passed, 
and  many  were  left  with  farmers  and  other  persons  and 
forcibly  exchanged  for  serviceable  animals.  The  Union 
people  as  far  as  practicable  hid  their  serviceable  horses 
and  mules  in  inaccessible  places,  or  took  them  within  the 
Federal  lines  until  the  Southern  army  had  passed. 

After  Price's  army  crossed  the  Arkansas  River  and 
in  its  march  through  the  Choctaw  Nation  it  received  some 
food  supplies  from  Generals  Cooper  and  Watie  that  relieved 
the  pinch  of  hunger  temporarily;  but  the  desperate  condi 
tion  of  the  troops  of  the  expedition  did  not  have  the 
effect  of  stimulating  the  aggressive  spirit  of  the  Southern 
Indian  forces.  They  were  greatly  disappointed,  for  they 
had  been  receiving  wonderful  reports  of  the  success  of 
the  expedition  in  sweeping  everything  before  it  in  its  early 
entrance  into  Missouri,  and  until  it  was  turned  south  at 
Westport. 

The  year  was  closing  with  the  Federal  arms 
triumphant  in  every  part  of  the  country  except  in  the  im 
mediate  vicinity  of  Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Gibson,  where  it 
was  common  talk  that  weakness,  incompetence  and  cor- 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War.  453 

ruption  were  undoing  much  that  courage  and  patriotism 
had  accomplished.  Sherman  had  made  his  march  to  the 
sea,  taken  Savannah  and  was  preparing-  for  his  march 
through  the  Carolinas;  Thomas  had  raised  the  siege 
of  Nashville  and  destroyed  Hood's  army  and  relieved  the 
fear  of  an  invasion  of  Kentucky  and  the  North,  and  Grant 
was  tightening  his  grip  on  Lee's  army  around  Petersburg 
and  Richmond  and  pushing  it  into  the  last  ditch,  and  every 
thing  indicated  that  the  collapse  of  the  Confederacy  could 
not  be  delayed  more  than  a  few  months. 

But  in  Western  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory, 
too,  the  new  year  brought  assurance  that  a  saner  policy 
was  being  inaugurated  that  would  restore  the  morale  of 
the  troops  and  correct  the  corrupt  practices  that  had  crept 
into  the  administration  of  affairs  in  that  section.  Generals 
Steele  and  Thayer  were  removed  and  superseded  by  Gen 
erals  Reynolds  and  Bussy. 

After  General  Herron  made  a  report  to  General  Canby, 
commanding  the  Military  Division  of  West  Mississippi,  of 
his  inspection  of  the  condition  at  Fort  Gibson,  Colonel 
Phillips  was  restored  to  the  command  of  the  Indian  Brig 
ade,  and  assumed  command  on  the  29th  of  December.  He 
found  conditions  in  a  frightful  state.  He  at  once  set  to 
work  to  correct  the  abuses  that  had  crept  into  every  de 
partment  since  he  relinquished  command  in  July.  He 
found  that  McDonald  &  Co.,  Merchants  and  Traders  at 
Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Gibson,  had  a  hand  and  controlling 
interest  in  nearly  everything.  He  mentioned  a  case  in 
which  the  Creek  refugees  around  Fort  Gibson  were  suf 
fering  for  food  and  the  President  had  authorized  an  ex 
penditure  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  their  relief, 
and  that  Mr.  Coffin,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Southern 
Superintendency  of  Indian  Affairs,  telegraphed  the  depart 
ment  that  McDonald  &  Co.  could  furnish  corn  at  seven 
dollars  per  bushel  and  beef  at  six  cents  a  pound,  and  that 
he  was  authorized  to  take  a  temporary  supply  at  those 
rates. 


454  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Mr.  Coffin  sent  his  agents  through  the  Indian  coun 
try  and  purchased  the  corn  at  two  dollars  and  two  dollars 
and  a  half  per  bushel  and  it  was  paid  for  in  McDonald 
checks.  If  a  man  had  one  hundred  bushels  the  agent  pur 
chased  it  all  and  issued  to  him  half  of  it,  and  gave  his 
neighbor  an  order  for  the  other  half  if  he  would  go  and 
get  it  and  charged  it  against  the  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  at  seven  dollars  a  bushel. 

At  the  post  of  Fort  Gibson  the  Colonel  found  a  dread 
fully  demoralized  state  existing.  He  was  furnished  with  a 
report  and  evidence  implicating  the  post  commander, 
provost  marshal,  quartermaster  and  commissary  of  fright 
ful  irregularities  and  abuses.  He  found  that  they  were 
regularly  in  the  habit  of  arresting  and  throwing  into  prison 
persons  and  blackmailing  them  and  dividing  the  money 
extorted,  between  themselves.  In  the  commissary  depart 
ment  he  found  wholesale  forgeries  of  vouchers,  and  in  the 
pendency  of  contracts  for  furnishing  beef  for  the  troops 
he  found  that  nearly  all  the  cattle  slaughtered,  were  con 
traband  and  charged  to  the  commissary  department  as 
purchased. 

He  also  found  that  the  corn  purchased  by  the  quarter 
master  at  Fort  Scott  had  been  shipped  to  Fort  Gibson  by 
Government  transportation  and  placed  in  the  warehouse 
of  McDonald  &  Co.,  to  be  issued  on  another  contract.  He 
had  before  he  was  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Indian 
Brigade  in  July,  undertaken  to  correct  the  abuses  of 
parties  from  Kansas,  sometimes  officers  of  the  army, 
coming  into  the  Indian  country,  on  one  pretext  or  another, 
and  driving  out  herds  of  Indian  cattle  and  selling  them  and 
appropriating  the  money  to  private  use,  and  after  being 
restored  to  his  old  command,  took  up  the  fight  again  with 
the  reasonable  hope  of  being  supported  by  the  new  de 
partment  commander. 

In  February,  1865,  in  his  correspondence  with  General 
Canby,  commanding  the  Military  Division  of  We^t  Missis 
sippi,  on  the  subject  the  Colonel  stated  that  for  nearly  a 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  455 

year  there  had  been  a  systematic  and  wholesale  plundering 
and  driving  of  stock  from  the  Indian  country  into  Kansas, 
and  that  part  of  the  stock  was  the  property  of  the  loyal 
Indian  soldiers  in  the  service  at  Fort  Gibson,  part  of  it  of 
loyal  citizens  of  the  Indian  country,  and  part  of  it  of  dis 
loyal  Indians  who  were  in  arms  against  the  Government 
and  those  aiding  them.  He  went  on  to  state  that  the 
devastations  of  the  war  had  depopulated  the  Creek  Nation, 
and  that  two-thirds  of  the  homes  of  the  Cherokee  Nation 
were  abandoned;  that  the  loyal  Indians  were  clustered 
around  Fort  Gibson  or  in  colonies  some  distance  away 
from  that  post,  depending  upon  the  Union  Indian  soldiers 
for  protection,  and  that  the  disloyal  Indians  were  clustered 
in  colonies  along  the  streams  tributary  to  Red  River,  and 
that  stock  of  both  loyal  and  disloyal  Indians,  or  what 
was  left  of  it,  was  scattered  on  the  range.  He  further 
stated  that  for  about  two  years  the  Arkansas  River  had 
been  a  boundary  between  the  hostile  Indian  forces;  that 
after  the  siege  of  Fort  Gibson  by  General  Cooper  in  July, 
1863,  no  Southern  army  had  camped  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  river,  nor  less  than  fifty  miles  south  of  it ;  that  the 
Confederate  occupancy  of  the  country  was  of  the  char 
acter  of  raids  or  expeditions,  and  that  this  situation  in 
vited  enterprises  by  which  much  of  the  stock  had  been 
collected  into  herds  and  driven  to  Kansas.  He  also  stated 
that  he  obtained  beef  for  his  command  and  for  the  many 
refugees  south  of  the  Arkansas  from  stock  subject  to  be 
taken  by  the  enemy,  and  that  there  was  no  necessity  for 
Federal  troops  entering  the  nation  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  in  his  rear,  on  the  pretext  of  scouting,  when  the 
real  purpose  wa£  for  driving  off  cattle.  In  some  cases 
some  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  wholesale  stealing  of  cat 
tle  in  the  Indian  country  had  permits  from  the  Indian 
Agent  of  the  Southern  Superintendency  of  Indian  Affairs, 
to  enter  that  country  and  purchase  cattle  of  the  Indians, 
when  he  knew  or  could  have  known,  that  the  Indians, 
loyal  or  disloyal,  were  not  at  their  homes  to  make  the  sales, 


456  Th*  Univn  Indian  Brigade  in  th*  Civil  War. 

and  that  the  pretended  biUs  of  sale  were  simply  the 
forgeries  of  those  engaged  in  the  nefarious  work,  and  who 
dared  not  go  to  Fort  Gibson  to  ascertain  and  verify  the 
true  ownership  of  the  stock  they  pretended  to  purchase. 

The  Colonel  gave  the  names  of  several  officers 
engaged  in  the  work  of  collecting  and  driving  herds  of 
stolen  cattle  from  the  Indian  country  into  Kansas;  but  in 
the  most  recent  transactions  he  was  unable  to  catch 
them.  His  hands  were  tied ;  his  Indian  command  had  been 
permitted  to  become  dismounted  through  the  dilatory 
action  of  his  Department  commander  in  carrying  out  the 
authority  of  General  Grant  to  mount  it  in  the  spring  of 
1864;  he  did  not  have  a  sufficient  number  of  mounted 
men  for  scouting  duty;  he  did  not  hesitate  to  charge  that 
military  authorities  in  Kansas  whose  duty  it  was  to  pro 
tect  the  Indians  were  in  league  with  the  thieves;  but 
through  political  influence  the  offenders  were  never 
brought  to  trial  or  punished. 

In  the  meantime  there  had  been  changes  of  Depart 
ment  commanders  of  Missouri,  Arkansas  and  Kansas,  and 
he  laid  the  situation  before  them  so  forcibly  of  the  robbing 
and  plundering  of  the  friendly  Indians,  that  General  Dodge, 
the  new  commander  of  the  Department  of  Kansas,  head 
quarters  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  issued  an  order  dated  Feb 
ruary  13,  1865,  directing  all  military  commanders  in  his 
department  to  arrest  and  hold  in  confinement  any  per 
son  guilty  of  robbing  the  friendly  Indians  of  their  cattle,  or 
in  any  manner  swindling  them,  and  stating  further  that  no 
permit  would  be  given  to  any  person  to  pass  through  the 
lines  of  the  Department  of  Kansas  for  the  purpose  of  trade 
of  any  kind,  and  that  all  cattle  or  stock  of  any  kind 
brought  out  of  the  Territory  south  of  the  department  for 
sale  or  speculation  would  be  seized  and  turned  over  to 
the  proper  department  and  the  stock  held  until  the  case 
could  be  fully  investigated  at  his  headquarters. 


The  Union  Indian  'Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  457 

In  a  month  or  two  Colonel  Phillips  had  effectively 
cleaned  house  and  vindicated  decency  in  the  administration 
of  affairs  in  the  Indian  country;  he  had  arrested,  removed 
and  preferred  charges  against  officers  at  the  post  of 
Fort  Gibson,  whose  records  and  the  testimony  of  witnesses 
showed  were  connected  with  corrupt  practices.  He  had  by 
his  energy,  persistence  and  intelligent  presentation  of  the 
facts  to  higher  authorities  stopped  cattle  stealing  from 
the  Indians  within  the  sphere  of  his  authority;  he  had 
seen  General  Thayer  and  others  who  he  believed  had 
endeavored  to  cripple  his  usefulness  and  humiliate  him 
removed,  and  if  he  could  have  had  only  one-half  of  his 
Indian  soldiers  mounted,  was  convinced  that  he  could 
have  made  a  good  showing  in  the  rehabilitation  of  former 
conditions  that  existed  in  the  Indian  country.  But  he 
knew  that  he  could  not  hope  for  the  remounting  of  his 
Indian  command,  for  the  terms  of  service  of  the  men 
would  expire  in  a  few  months,  and  the  indications  were 
daily  increasing  that  the  collapse  of  the  Confederacy  was 
near  at  hand.  With  the  few  available  mounted  men  he 
had,  he  employed  in  scouting  well  to  the  front,  and  as  late 
as  the  23d  of  April,  one  of  his  detachments  scouting  in 
the  direction  of  Boggy  Depot,  the  headquarters  of  the 
Southern  Indian  forces,  met  on  Snake  Creek  a  Confederate 
scout  endeavoring  to  push  through  to  Northwest  Arkansas, 
with  mail  for  Southern  families  and  men,  and  in  sharp 
skirmish  killed  three  of  the  enemy  and  captured  the 
mail. 

Some  of  the  writers  of  the  letters  found  in  the 
captured  mail  spoke  of  a  proposed  movement  of  large 
Southern  forces  north  into  Missouri  later  in  the  spring 
when  the  grass  would  be  up  sufficient  for  their  horses 
to  live  by  grazing,  showing  that  they  had  not  yet  heard 
of  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army,  and  the  surrender  of 
Confederate  armies  in  different  parts  of  the  South,  and 
that  the  war  was  over. 


458  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Near  the  closing  scenes  of  the  great  struggle,  John 
Ross,  the  Principal  Chief  of  the  Cherokees,  and  the  two 
Cherokee  Delegates  in  Congress,  on  March  22,  1865,  wrote 
General  Grant,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Armies,  that 
they  were  informed  an  effort  was  being  made  to  have  the 
Indian  Territory  attached  to  the  Department  of  Kansas, 
and  that  as  representatives  of  the  Cherokee  people  looking 
after  their  interests  in  Washington,  they  were  entirely 
satisfied  to  remain  under  the  command  of  Major  General 
Reynolds  of  the  Department  of  Arkansas,  and  that  prior 
to  that  time  when  their  country  had  been  attached  to  the 
Department  of  Kansas  the  cattle  and  corn  of  their  people 
had  been  stolen  and  their  country  ravished  under  the 
auspices  of  the  authorities  sent  to  protect  them,  and  that 
they  were  in  fear  if  they  were  again  connected  with  that 
department,  their  people  would  be  still  further  impover 
ished  by  the  same  kind  of  misrule,  and  that  they  fur 
ther  requested  Major  General  Blunt  be  not  again  placed 
in  command  of  the  Indian  country. 

During  the  past  winter  thousands  of  refugee  Union 
families  had  collected  and  were  camping  around  or  occupy 
ing  such  houses  as  they  could  secure  at  the  military  posts 
of  Fort  Smith,  Fayetteville,  Van  Buren  and  Clarksville, 
and  had  to  be  fed  by  the  Government  to  prevent  them  from 
starving,  the  food  issued  them  coming  mostly  from  the 
supplies  brought  up  the  river  for  the  use  of  the  sol 
diers.  Most  of  these  people  were  the  families  of  soldiers 
who  had  enlisted  in  the  six  or  seven  Arkansas  Union  regi 
ments  that  had  been  organized  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State,  and  would  have  been  largely  self-supporting 
if  they  could  have  remained  at  their  homes;  but  they 
were  robbed  and  plundered  of  everything  worth  taking  by 
the  regular  and  irregular  forces  of  both  sides,  compelling 
them  to  go  into  the  military  posts  for  protection  and 
for  food  to  prevent  them  from  starving.  On  the  8th 
of  March  General  Cyrus  Busseu,  commanding  at  Fort 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  459 

Smith,  in  reporting  the  situation  to  the  Department  Com 
mander,  at  Little  Rock,  stated  that  "many  loyal  people  have 
been  shamefully  treated  by  our  army,"  and  further 
stated  that  "in  most  instances  everything  has  been  taken 
and  no  receipts  given,  the  people  turned  out  to  starve  and 
their  effects  loaded  into  trains  and  sent  to  Kansas." 

On  the  approach  of  spring  these  families  who  had 
camped  about  military  posts  formed  colonies  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  posts  where  they  could  receive  protection 
and  proposed  to  gather  up  such  means  as  were  possible 
and  cultivate  the  lands  and  raise  crops  on  the  abandoned 
farms,  which  would  make  them  in  a  measure  independent 
of  asking  assistance  of  the  Government.  They  could  not 
very  well  be  sent  away  because  many  of  them  were  de 
pendent  upon  their  husbands  and  sons  who  were  soldiers 
in  the  Arkansas  Union  regiments  raised  in  that  section. 
Many  of  these  people  were  able  to  purchase  from  the  com 
missary  department  the  food  supplies  they  needed,  and 
seed  corn  and  seeds  they  would  require  for  planting  their 
crops.  In  the  Indian  country,  too,  there  were  many  Union 
Indian  families  who  formed  colonies  for  cultivating  aban 
doned  farms  along  the  streams  in  the  vicinity  of  mili 
tary  posts  from  which  they  could  look  for  protection.  In 
Western  Arkansas  the  colonists  had  fortified  positions 
occupied  by  companies  of  forty  to  two  hundred  armed 
men,  who  scouted  the  country  for  information  in  regard 
to  approach  of  enemies. 

It  was  to  the  credit  of  the  state  of  Kansas  and  to 
General  Blunt  that  he  and  members  of  the  legislature  and 
other  state  officials  made  commendable  efforts  to  break 
up  the  organizations  of  lawless  men  who,  it  was  alleged, 
were  mostly  from  Kansas  and  Texas,  and  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  stealing  of  cattle  and  horses  from  the  Indian 
country,  and  while  it  was  charged  that  General  Blunt 
winked  at  these  illegal  operations,  it  is  believed  here  that 
he  did  not  sanction  or  have  anything  to  do  with  them. 


460  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

He  was  a  gallant  officer  and  when  given  a  command 
where  there  were  important  operations  before  him  always 
made  good;  but  he  was  handicapped  by  parasites  of  the 
army  who,  through  political  influence,  secured  permission 
from  higher  authorities,  authorities  he  felt  he  could  not 
antagonize,  to  go  into  the  Indian  country  to  purchase  stock 
from  the  Indians  and  engage  in  other  enterprises. 

He  was  in  a  different  position  from  that  of  Colonel 
Phillips;  he  owed  his  important  position  to  Kansas  polit 
ical  influences  which  he  did  not  like  to  antagonize,  while 
Colonel  Phillips'  appointment  was  from  the  President 
without  being  backed  by  the  Kansas  delegation  in  Con 
gress;  he  was  a  delegate  from  Kansas  to  the  National  Re 
publican  Convention  at  Chicago  in  1860,  and  through  his 
influence  the  vote  of  the  Kansas  delegation  was  delivered 
to  Mr.  Seward  who  was  next  in  strength  to  Mr.  Lincoln, 
and  who  was  Secretary  of  State  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  cabinet, 
and  was  inclined  to  stand  by  his  friend  who  had  supported 
him  in  the  National  Convention,  particularly  when  his 
friend  was  engaged  in  a  struggle  waging  a  war  for  de 
cency  in  the  administration  of  affairs  in  the  Indian  coun 
try. 

The  morale  of  the  Federal  troops  at  Ft.  Smith  depre 
ciated  to  such  an  extent  during  General  Thayer's  admin 
istration  of  affairs  in  Western  Arkansas  and  the  Indian 
Territory,  that  the  last  of  December  on  his  recommenda 
tion,  the  Department  Commander  ordered  the  evacuation 
of  not  only  that  post,  but  all  the  military  posts  in  Western 
Arkansas,  and  the  withdrawal  of  all  his  troops  to  Little 
Rock,  leaving  the  Union  people  of  all  that  section  who 
were  unable  to  leave  their  homes  and  accompany  the  army 
in  midwinter  at  the  mercy  of  the  Southern  Partisan  bands, 
who,  upon  retirement  of  the  troops,  would  have  been  ready 
to  pounce  upon  their  Union  neighbors. 

Ft.  Smith  was  the  place  from  which  the  loyal  Indians 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.         461 

of  the  Indian  Territory  could  be  best  protected  from  in 
cursions  of  the  Southern  forces,  but  it  was  the  headquar 
ters  of  the  Unionists  of  the  western  half  of  the  state, 
which  probably  furnished  fully  three-fourths  of  the  loyal 
element  of  the  state. 

Practically  all  the  able-bodied  men  of  this  Union  ele 
ment  were  soldiers  in  the  Union  Arkansas  regiments  and 
all  their  families  who  considered  it  unsafe  to  remain  at 
their  homes  were  at  the  military  posts  in  the  western  part 
of  the  state. 

The  soldiers  and  their  families  naturally  did  not  wish 
the  Federal  forces  to  evacuate  the  military  posts  and  the 
country,  for  they  knew  that  immediately  after  the  retire 
ment  of  the  troops  the  country  would  be  overrun  by  South 
ern  Partisan  bands,  followed  by  an  orgy  of  murder  and 
robbery  of  the  Unionists. 

There  were  some  able  men  among  these  people,  men 
able  to  plead  justice  for  them  and  to  lay  the  situation  be 
fore  the  President  who  directed  General  Grant  to  counter 
mand  the  order  of  evacuation  of  Ft.  Smith  and  other  posts, 
which  he  did  before  all  the  troops  had  left  and  just  in 
time  to  save  the  destruction  of  hundreds  of  thousands 
worth  of  Government  property  for  which  there  was  no 
transportation. 

There  was  no  organized  force  of  the  enemy  within  a 
hundred  miles  of  Ft.  Smith  except  Southern  Partisan 
bands,  and  with  Price's  Army  drawn  from  Missouri,  Ar 
kansas  and  Indian  Territory  into  Texas,  in  completely  de 
moralized  condition,  with  the  loss  of  its  artillery,  trans 
portation  and  supplies,  its  soldiers  naked  and  starving  and 
the  collapse  of  the  Confederacy  plainly  in  sight  to  any 
man  of  Intellectual  vision,  it  certainly  looked  strange  and 
as  the  very  climax  of  weakness  In  competing  that  the 
Federal  Commander  should  have  taken  such  a  pessimistic 
view  of  the  situation  as  to  consider  it  necessary  to  evacu- 


462  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

ate  the  military  posts  in  the  country  in  the  western  half 
of  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory  to  the  south  line  of 
Kansas,  all  of  which  had  been  won  by  very  great  costs 
and  sacrifices  to  the  Government,  besides  the  great  injus 
tice  and  suffering  such  a  course  would  have  entailed  upon 
the  loyal  white  people  and  Indians  of  the  evacuated  region. 

While  the  arrangements  for  evacuation  were  going 
forward  there  was  a  good  stage  of  water  in  the  Arkansas, 
and  if  there  was  prospect  of  the  army  being  short  of  sup 
plies,  there  was  no  reason  why  they  should  not  have  been 
brought  up  the  river  on  transports  from  Little  Rock,  as 
they  were  immediately  after  the  order  for  evacuation  had 
been  countermanded. 

The  proposed  evacuation  would  have  taken  the  loyal 
Arkansas  troops  away  from  the  defense  of  their  own  part 
of  the  state  and  the  loyal  Indians  from  holding  the  line  of 
the  Arkansas  River  as  a  defense  against  the  Southern  In 
dian  forces  overrunning  their  country  north  of  the  river. 

THE  END. 


ANALYTICAL  INDEX. 


Adair,  Colonel  William  Penn,  operations  in  Indian  Territory,  331;  raid  north 
through  the  Cherokee  Nation,  395. 

Adams,  Captain  J.  M.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  130. 

Allen,  Captain  Norman,  battery  on  Indian  Expedition,  62;  in  action  at 
Newtonia,  84,  95;  at  Fort  Wayne,  103;  at  Cane  Hill,  III. 

Anderson,  Bill,  quarrels  with  Quantrill,  384. 

Anderson,  Captain  Henry  S.,  on  scout,  175;  mentioned,  232;  after  cattle 
thieves,  432. 

Arkansas  Governor  refuses  to  furnish  quota  of  troops,  22. 

Arkansas  River,  navigable  to  Fort  Smith,  in  spring,  387. 

Armstrong,  Captain  A.  J.,  battery  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  262-263. 

Army   of   the    Frontier,    84,  109,  166. 

Arsenal  at  Little  Rock,  evacuated,  31. 

Atwater,  Lieutenant  Joseph  B.,  battery  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  137. 

Backbone  Mountain,  action  at,  293-297. 

Backof,  Captain  Frank,  battery  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  134,  136,  137, 
139,  140,  148. 

Bankhead,  General  Smith  R.,  reinforces  General  Cooper,  285,  288,  328. 

Banks,  General  N.  P.,  commands  Red  River  Expedition,  344,  394. 

Banzhaf,  Major  Charles,  in  Van  Buren  raid;  captures  Confederate  train, 
160,  161. 

Barker,  Captain  Edgar  A.,  in  action  at  Flat  Rock,  437-439. 

Barstow,  Colonel  W.  A.,  50,  157. 

Bass,  Colonel  Thomas  C.,  covers  retreat  of  Colonel  Watie,  250;  in  action  at 
Elk  Creek,  273,  278. 

Bassett,  Lieutenant  B.  S.,  battery  in  action  near  Fort  Gibson,  232. 

Bassett,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Owen  A.,  in  action  at  Fort  Wayne,  103;  at 
Prairie  Grove,  144;  at  Waldron,  329. 

Baxter  Springs,  Indian  Expedition  starts  from,  62,  63;  mentioned,  170;  made 
a  post,  175;  occupied  by  Lieutenant  John  Crites,  and  by  Lieutenant 
R.  E.  Cook  later,  309;  Lieut:nant  J.  B.  Pond  fortifies  camp,  310;  massa 
cre,  310  321. 

Benge,  P.  M.,  on  resolutions,  28. 

Bertram,  Colonel  Henry,  charge  of  brigade  at  Prairie  Grove,  134-139. 

Bishop,  Lieutenant-Colonel  A.  W.,  telegraphs  for  Second  and  Third  Divis 
ions,  109. 

Black,  Colonel  John  Charles,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  139. 

Blair,  Colonel  Charles  W.,  battery  in  action  at  Cane  Hill,  ill;  sends  out 
scouting  detachments,  306;  reinforces  post  at  Baxter  Springs,  309;  re 
ports  the  Baxter  Springs  Massacre,  313-321;  gives  information  of  Price's 
movements;  Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  432,  440. 

Blunt,  General  James  G.,  commands  Department  of  Kansas,  62;  instructions 
to  General  Salomon,  74;  organizes  campaign  for  Southwest  Missouri, 
77-79;  in  command  of  Army  of  the  Frontier,  Battle  of  Newtonia,  84, 
90,  98,  99;  actions  at  Fort  Wayne  and  Cane  Hill,  101,  102,  104,  109, 
112-117;  Prairie  Grove  camp  ign,  118-131,  135-152;  expedition  to  Van 
Buren,  153-165;  returns  to  Kansas,  167;  situation  at  Fort  Gibson  laid 
before  him,  258;  arrives  at  Fort  Gibson,  268;  reception,  address  to 
troops  and  people,  269,  270;  prepares  to  move  against  Cooper,  crosses 
Arkansas,  attacks  and  routs  Confederates  at  Elk  Creek,  274-275,  278  ( 


464  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

282-285;  Perry ville  campaign,  advances  against  Cooper  and  routs  him 
287-292;  returns  and  occupies  Fort  Smith;  doting  a  Drilliant  campaign, 
returns  to  Kansas,  293-294;  Baxter  Springs  Massacre,  305-121;  feud 
with  General  Schofield,  334;  removed  from  command  of  District  of  the 
Frontier,  335,  337;  recommends  muster  out  of  Indian  Brigade,  379- 
380;  in  Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  423-429,  449;  mentioned,  458,  459- 
460. 

Borris,  Lieutenant  Herman,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  133,  135,  140,  148. 

Bowen,  Colonel  Thomas  M.,  at  Cane  Hill,  109;  at  Prairie  Grove,  144. 

Bowles,  Lieutenant-Colonel  John,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  262;  at  Elk 
Creek,  279,  280. 

Bredett,  Major^E  iphalet,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  killed,  127-128. 

Brinker,  Captain,  at  Baxter  Springs,  318. 

Brown,  General  E  bert  B.,  commands  the  District  of  Southwest  Missouri, 
76;  participates  in  pursuit  of  Confederates  from  Lone  Jack,  78;  men 
tioned,  168,  324,  325. 

Bryant,  Colonel  G.  E.,  50. 

Buchanan's  Administration,  sympathizes  with  the  South,  19,  31. 

Bue.l,  Lieutenant-Colonel  James  T.,  in  command  of  Federal  forces  at  Inde 
pendence,  76. 

Bunner,  Lieutenant  Lafayette,  127,  128. 

Burch,  Major  Milton,  in  command  at  Neosho,  225;  attacks  Colonel  Adair's 
men,  396. 

Burrows,  Captain  Amos  L.,  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  130. 

Bussey,  General  Cyano,  assigned  to  command  District  of  the  Frontier,  458. 

Cabell,  General  William  L.,  commands  District  of  Western  Arkansas,  186; 
attacks  Fayetteville  and  is  defeated,  218;  co-operates  with  General 
Cooper,  235,  248,  256,  285,  288;  defending  Fort  Smith,  291;  in  action 
at  Poison  Spring,  364,  366,  368,  373;  in  Price's  Missouri  Expedition, 
captured  at  Mine  Creek,  448. 

Cabin  Creek,  Indian  Expedition  arrives  at,  66;  action  at,  245-266;  train, 
arrives  at;  engagement  with  enemy,  259-265;  train  attacked  and  cap 
tured,  440-446. 

Calkins,  Major  E.  A.,  at  Prairie  Grove,  144. 

Camden  Expedition,  341-358. 

Canby,  General  E.  R.  S.,  commands  Military  Division  of  West  Mississippi, 

395>  454- 

Canebrakes,  on  streams;  cattle  feed  in,  210. 
Cane  Hill,  action  at,  107-117. 

Carr,  General  E.  A.,  in  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  53;  mentioned,  347,  355. 
Carroll,  Colonel  Charles  A.,  at  Cane  Hill,  116;  in  Prairie  Grove  campaign, 

122,  186,  202. 
Carroll,  Major  J.  A.,  in  regard  to  handcuffs  for  colored  soldiers,  282.  (See 

David  Griffith.) 

Carruth,  E.  H.,  Indian  Agent,  message  to  Hopoeithleyohola,  34. 
Cassity,  Corporal  Levi,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  142,  143. 
Catherwood,  Colonel  Edwin  C.,  reinforces  General  Bunt,  286;  returns  to 

Missouri,  296. 

Cattle,  Indian,  large  herds  ©f,  83. 

Cavert,  Lieutenant  J.  G.,  in  Baxter  Springs  Massacre,  313. 
Cayott,  Lieutenant  J.  C.,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  261. 
Chapin,  Captain  William  A.,  operations  near  Van  Buren,  186. 
Cherokees,  divided  on  giving  up  treaty  relations,  II,  17,  *6;  mass  meeting 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  War.  465 

called,  28,  33;  Council  sends  delegation  to  Washington,  194;  Legislature 
meets  at  Webber's  Falls,  219. 

Choctaw  Nation,  meeting  of  Council,  20. 

Choctaws  and  Chickasaws,  organize  for  Confederate  service,  n,  30,  33. 

Cholera  at  Fort  Gibson,  256-257. 

Chover,  Lieutenant  J.,  captured,  68. 

Churchill,  Colonel  T.  J.,  raid  to  Missouri,  57. 

Chustenahlah,  engagement,  43,  45. 

Chusto-tahlasah,  action  at,  40. 

Clark,  Colonel  John  G.,  brigade  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  139. 

Clark,  Lieutenant  Colonel-Charhs  S.,  attacks  and  captures  Confederate 
camp;  brings  in  Union  families,  409-411. 

Clarkson,  Colonel  J.  J.,  authorized  to  raise  a  regiment  of  white  troops,  60; 
captured  in  action  at  Locust  Grove,  65. 

Cloud,  Colonel  William  F.,  in  Newtonia  campaign,  85-88;  at  Fort  Wayne, 
89;  at  Cane  Hill,  no  at  Prairie  Grove,  121-125,  144,  147;  at  Backbone 
Mountain,  293-294;  at  Fort  Smith  and  Little  Rock,  286-300,  412;  at 
Clarksville,  422-423;  escort  to  train,  436. 

Cockrell,  Colonel,  commands  Confederates  at  Lone  Jack,  77. 

Coffee,  Colonel  John  T.,  at  Lone  Jack,  64;  operations  in  Southwest  Mis 
souri,  286,  307,  322,  323. 

Coffin,  Indian  Agent,  abuses  connected  with,  453-454. 

Coleman,  Captain  Charles  F.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  124. 

Colored  prisoner  quizzed  by  captors,  241-244. 

Colored  troops,  organization  of,  178-180. 

Conkey,  Captain  Theodore,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  124;  operations,  174. 

Connelley,  William  E.,  life  and  death  of  Quantrill,  386. 

Cook,  Lieutenant  R.  E.,  ordered  to  Baxter  Springs,  309;  in  massacre;  killed, 
321. 

Cook,  Lieutenant  H.  A.  B.,  escorts  boat  at  Fort  Smith,  401-407,  408. 

Cooper,  General  Douglas  H.,  authorized  to  raise  a  Choctaw  regiment,  33,  38; 
attacks  Hopoeithleyohola,  39;  at  Newtonia,  80,  98,  99;  at  Fort  Wayne, 
loses  his  artilery,  102-104;  operations  in  front  of  Fort  Gibson,  208,  "218; 
holds  council  of  war,  addresses,  234,  235;  failure  to  capture  train,  241; 
compared  with  Colonel  Phillips,  245-248;  another  attempt  to  capture 
train,  255;  war  council;  calls  for  General  Cabell  to  reinforce  him,  271; 
hears  of  defeat  of  Southern  armies,  271;  attacked  and  routed  at  Honey 
Springs,  274-284;  at  PerryviJle,  287-288;  expedition  north  of  Arkansas 
River,  382-383;  captures  train  at  Cabin  Creek,  437. 

Cosgrove,  Major  John,  pursuit  of  Colonel  Adair,  395. 

Crafts,  Lieutenant  Fred,  reconnoissance  in  direction  of  Van  Buren,  196. 

Crawford,  Colonel  Samuel  J.,  charge  at  Fort  Wayne,  103;  attacks  Colonel 

Watie  near  San  Bois,  407-408. 

Creek  Indians,  loyal,  coming  in;  address,  215-216. 
Crites,  Lieutenant  John,  ordered  to  Baxter  Springs,  309. 
Crittenden,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Thomas  T.,  at  Newtonia,  224. 
Crump,  Colonel  R.  P.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  129;  routed  and  train  cap 
tured  at  Dripping  Spring,   158-160,   164. 

Curtis,  General  Samuel  R.,  at  Pea  Ridge,  46,  51-57;  commands  Department 
of  Missouri,  89;  Cane  Hill  and  Prairie  Grove  campaigns,  100,  101,  119; 
in  command  of  Department  of  Kansas,  374;  inspection  tour,  374;  in 
Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  450-452. 

Curtis,  Major  H.  Z.,  in  Baxter  Springs  Massacre;  killed,  314-316. 
Davis,  General  Jeff  C.,  in  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  53. 


466  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Davis,  Jefferson,  President  of  the  Confederacy,  21. 

De  Friese,  Lieutenant  J.  M.,  in  action  at  Massard  Prairie;  captured,  426. 

De  Morse,  Colonel  Charles,  inaction  at  Cabin  Lreek,  260;  at  Elk  Creek,  278: 

279,  280;  at  Poison  Spring,  369. 
Deitzler,  Colonel  G.  W.,  50. 
Desertions,   Confederate  Army,   large,   remarks  on,   255,   arrived   from   Elk 

Creek,  259;  from  Cabell's  Brigade,  285,  295-296;  from  Adair's  forces,  396. 
Dobyns,  Captain  Henry  M.,  accompanies  the  Indian  Brigade,  168. 
Dodd,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Theodore  H.,  reinforces  escort  to  train,  258;  at 

Elk  Creek,  273. 

Dodge,  General  Grenville  M.,  order  in  regard  to  cattle-thieving,  456. 
Dole,  Colonel  George,  in  command,  233;  commands  train  escort,  268. 
Downing,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lewis,  address  at  Flag  celebration,  212. 
Doubleday,  Colonel  Charles,  50,  60,  62. 
Drew,  Colonel  John,  tenders  a  Cherokee  regiment,  29;  attack  on  Hopoeith- 

leyohol  ,38. 

Dripping  Spring,  action  at;  Confederates  routed,  158-160,  164. 
Duncan,  Captain  William  M.,  in  battle  of  Poison  Spring,  363,  367,  368,  370. 
Duval,  George  W.,  experience  at  Flat  Rock,  439. 

Dye,  Colonel  William  McE.,  brigade  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  133,  140. 
Edwards,  Lieutenant  C.  L.,  battery  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  131,  137. 
Elk  Creek,  battle  of  (See  Honey  Springs,)  267-285. 
Elkhorn  Tavern,  battle  of,  52. 
Emory,  Colonel  William  H.,  command  in  Indian  Territory,  21;  evacuates 

forts  in,  32. 
Eno,  Major  Edward  B.,  in  ccommand  at  Newtonia,  183;  reinforces  General 

Blunt,  286. 

Espey,  Captain,  battery  in  action  at  Fort  Smith,  427. 
Ewing,  General  Thomas,  Jr.,  at  Cane  Hill,  109;  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove, 

109,  144;  Order  Number  Eleven,  approved  by  Unionists  and  denounced 

by  Southern  sympathizers,  305-306,  312;  Price's  Missouri  Expedition, 

447- 

Expedition  to  Van  Buren,  incidents  and  hardships  of,  153-165. 

Fagan,  General  J.  F.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  145;  Price's  Missouri  Ex 
pedition,  434;  attacks  Fayetteville,  451. 

Fairchild,  Surgeon  Stephen  A.,  in  action  at  Stone's  Farm,  420-421. 

Faragut,  Admiral  D.,  capture  of  at  New  Orleans,  71-72. 

Farr,  Lieutenant  A.  W.,  death  in  Baxter  Springs  Massacre,  321. 

Fayettevill,e  wounded  of  Prairie  Grove  sent  to,  167;  General  Cabell  attacks 
and  is  repulsed,  218;  General  Fagan  is  repulsed,  451. 

Federals  plan  operations  on  all  fronts,  341,  344. 

Flat  Rock,  Indian  Expedition  returns  from,  80;  massacre  at,  437-440. 

Foreman,  Major  John  A.,  in  command  at  Neosho,  171,  204;  on  reconnois- 
sance,  208;  escorts  train  north,  197,  249;  attacks  Colonel  Watie,  250; 
returns  to  Fort  Gibson,  251;  mentioned,  257,  258,  259;  in  action  at 
Cabin  Creek,  261-263;  ordered  to  Rhea's  Mills,  332;  marches  to  enforce 
train  escort,  441. 

Fort  Arbuckle,  evacuated  by  Federal  troops,  22. 

Fort  Cobb,  evacuation  by  Federal  troops,  22. 

Fort  Davis,   73;  destruction  of,    155-156,    163. 

Fort  Gibson,  occupied  by  Indian  Brigade,  209;  fortifications;  described,  209- 
211  217;  operations  about  218-219,  230;  action  near  and  capture  o 
stock  230;  offensive  operations  from,  267;  General  Herron  inspects 
conditions  at,  434. 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigad*  in  th*  Civil  War.  467 

Fort  Scott  ,fortififed,  306;  a  sub-base,  306. 

Fort  Smith,  mentioned,  162-163;  Occupied  by  General  Blunt,  304-305;  sit 
uation  at  considered,  387-392;  attacked  by  General  Cooper,  427-428; 
ordered  evacuated,  and  order  countermanded,  461. 

Fort  Wayne,  Old,  action  at;  General  Cooper  and  artillery  taken,  102. 

Fort  Washita,  evacuated  by  Federal  troops,  22. 

Foster,  Major  Emory  S.,  commands  Federal  forces  at  Lone  Jack,  78. 

Foust,  Captain  Joseph,  battery  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  130,  131,  134,  136, 
139,  148. 

Fremont,  General  J.  C.,  dilatory  movements,  36;  finally  relieved,  36. 

Frontier  Division,  Seventh  Army  Corps,  on  Camdcn  Expedition,  346-354- 
358. 

Frost,  General  D.  M.,  mentioned,   145,   146,   162. 

Fuller,  Captain  Irving  W.,  captures  steamboat  Rose  Douglas,  160. 

Furnas,  Colonel  Robert  W.,  designated  commander  of  Indian  Brigade,  81; 
retires  to  north  part  of  Cherokee  Nation,  82. 

Gaines,  Colonel,  emissary  to  Chief  John    Ross,  26. 

Gallaher,  Lieutenant  William,  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  144. 

Galloway,  Major  Charles,  pursues  outlaws,  416. 

Gano,  General  R.  M.,  threatens  Fort  Smith,  328;  with  General  Maxey,  411, 
captures  Federal  outpost  near  Fort  Smith,  419-422;  at  Massard  Prairie 
423-427;  expedition  to  capture  train,  and  action  at  Flat  Rock,  430-440; 
at  Cabin  Creek,  441-446. 

Gardner,  Captain  John,  in  action  at  Roseville,  418-422. 

Geiger,  Colonel  W.  F.,  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  120,  143. 

Gentry,  Major  William,  in  Shelby's  Raid,  325-326. 

Gibbons,  Lieutenant  W.  C.,  in  action  at  Poison  Spring,  369,  371. 

Gilpatrick,  Dr.  Rufus,  death  of  at  Webber's  Falls,  222. 

Gillett,  Captain  L.  E.,  at  Elk  Creek,  273,  278. 

Gordon,  Captain  William,  charged  Confederates  at  Elk  Creek,  274-275. 

Goss,  Captain  David,  in  action  at  Roseville,  418-422. 

Gower,  Colonel  James  O.,  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  143. 

Grant,  General  U.  S.,  mentioned,  244,  344,  386;  Red  River  Expedition,  344, 
394;  Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  451. 

Graton,  Captain  John  R.,  escorts  a  train,  437. 

Greeno,  Captain  H.  S.,  captures  Tahlequah  and  Chief  John  Ross,  67,  68; 
address,  69. 

Greenleaf  Prairie,  action  at,  231. 

Griffith,  Colonel,  Texas  regiment,  43. 

Griffith,  Private  David,  about  handcuffs  captured  at  Honey  Springs,  282. 

Gurley,  Colonel,  Texas  regiment,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  443. 

Haines,  Lieutenant  W.  W.,  accompanies  Colonel  Cloud,  297;  in  action  at 

Hall,  Colonel  George  H.,  in  action  at  Newtonia,  97,  98;  in  Shelby's  Raid,  326. 

Hall,  Lieutenant  Joseph,  brings  in  Union  families,  205. 
Poison  Spring,  362,  364,  368. 

Halleck,  General  H.  W.,  relieves  General  Fremont  in  command  of  Department 
of  Missouri,  46;  prepares  for  aggressive  campaign,  46;  Red  River  Ex 
pedition,  344;  Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  451. 

Harris,  Lieutenant  John  G.,  wounded  at  Cane  Hill,  116. 

Harrison,  Colonel  M.  La  Rue,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  108,  127;  opera 
tions  from,  183,  185;  fortifies  position,  190;  repulses  attack  of  General 
Cabell,  218;  evacuates  Fayetteville,  218;  at  Cas'sville,  223,  224;  at 
tacks  Southern  Partisan  bands,  307,  414-417;  scouting,  415;  repulses 
General  Fagan,  451. 


46%  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War . 

Hawpe,  Colonel  T.  C.,  tt  Shirley's  Ford  and  Newtonia,  89.    • 

Hayes,  Colonel  Upton,  wounded  in  action  at  Independence,  76, 

Henderson,  Captain  Robert,  in  action  at  Poison  Spring,  365,  366. 

Henry,  Captain  C.  A.,  in  Camden  Expedition,  361-362. 

Henning,  Major  B.  S.,  in  action  at  Baxter  Springs,  317,  320. 

Herron,  General  Francis  J.,  at  Osage  Springs,  106;  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove, 
119,  122-126,  129-135,  148-152;  expedition  to  Van  Buren,  154-165; 
commands  the  Second  and  Third  Divisions,  167;  on  Colonel  Phillips' 
restoration  to  command  of  Indian  Brigade,  434. 

Hicks,  Captain,  in  action  near  Fort  Gibson,  82. 

Hindman,  General  T.  C.,  in  command  of  Trans-Mississippi  District,  75; 
Fort  Wayne  and  Cane  Hill  campaign,  100,  105;  Prairie  Grove  campaign, 
118-134,  135-149;  turns  General  Blunt's  left  flank,  150;  retires  from 
Van  Buren  and  Fort  Smith,  151-152;  mentioned.  153,  154,  155,  166. 

Holmes,  Lieutenant-General  Theophilus,  defeated  at  Helena,  186. 

Home,  longing  for  by  soldiers  out  of  country,  396-397. 

Homer,  steamer,  captured  below  Camden,  361. 

Honey  Springs  (see  Elk  Creek),  282. 

Hooper,  Colonel  J.  C.,  in  Shelby's  Raid,  323. 

Hopkins,  Captain  Henry,   battery  in  action  at  Cane  Hill,   in;  at  Prairie 

Hopkins,  Major  Henry,  commands  train  escort,  440-446. 

Grove,  143,  144,  147;  mentioned,  168,  188,  232,  233,  236;  at  Elk  Creek, 
273,  278. 

Hopoeithleyohola,  sends  a  messenger,  34;  defeated,  39;  prepares  for  attack, 
41;  sufferings  of  his  followers,  45. 

Houston,  Lieutenant  G.  W.,  left  boat  and  went  over  to  the  enemy,  401-405. 

Houts,  Captain  Ihomas  W.,  operatims  from  Elkhorn,  184. 

Hubbard,  Major  James  M.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  129-130. 

Hughes,  Lolonei  John  T.,  killed  inaction  at  independence,  76. 

Hunter,  Colonel  De  Witt  C.,  recruiting  in  Southwest  Missouri,  307;  Shelby's 

Hunter,  General  David,  forces  failed  to  co-operate  with  Curtis,  48. 
Expedition,  323. 

Huston,  Colonel  Daniel,  division  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  120,  132,  133, 
135,  139,  HO. 

Independence,  action  at,  76. 

Indian  Brigade,  operations  of:  marches  to  Camp  Walker,  169;  scouting  and 
skirmishing  about  Maysville,  177;  moves  to  Elk  Mills,  178;  to  Pineville, 
181;  to  Bentonville,  187;  to  Big  Spring,  196;  to  Illinois  River,  200;  to 
Cincinnati,  204;  to  Camp  Jim  Lane,  206;  to  Parkhill;  met  refugee  In 
dian  families  from  Neosho,  Mo.,  206;  occupies  Fort  Gibson,  209;  catches 
a  Confederate  spy,  219. 

Indian  Expedition,  its  organization,  61;  return,  cause  of,  79. 

Indians,  loyal,  retirement  of  the  Federal  army  from  Southwest  Missouri  had 
depressing  effect  upon,  37. 

Indians,  Pin,  their  status  denned,  202. 

Interview  with  colored  escaped  prisoner,   241-244. 
ackman,  Colonel  S.  D.,  in  action  at  Lone  Jack,  76. 
acobi,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Arthur,  in  action  at  Newtonia,  92,  93,  94. 
can,  Colonel  Beal  G.,  in  action  at  Newtonia,  96. 

enkins'  Ferry,  battle  of,  Confederates  repulsed,  led  by  Generals  Smith  and 
Price,  393. 

Jewell,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  scout  to  Locust  Grove,  64,  65;  in  action  at  New 
tonia,  96;  at  Cane  Hill,  103,  108,  113,  114;  death,  114-116. 

Johnson,  Captain  C.,  assists  the  Osages  in  driving  cattle  off,  432. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.        469 

Johnion,  Colonel  James  M.,  command*  outpost  at  Waldron,  339. 

Johns  ton,  General  A.  S.,  death  of,  70. 

Jonjs,  Kev.  Joan  B  ,  innuence  among  the  Cherokees,  1 8. 

Judson,  Colonel  William  R.,  on  Indian  Expedition,  50,  62;  at  Newtonia,  94, 
95,  96;  at  Fort  Wayne,  102;  at  Cane  Hill,  113;.  at  Prairie  Grove,  at 
tacks  rear  of  Confederate  Army,  136,  150;  expedition  to  Van  Buren,  157; 
commands  a  sub-district  in  Southwest  Missouri,  183;  mentioned,  268; 
commands  the  First  Brigade  at  the  battle  of  Elk  Creek,  273;  in  com 
mand  at  Fort  Smith,  346,  399;  repulses  attack  of  General  Cooper,  wound 
ed,  427-428. 

Julian,  Captain  Stephen  A.,  at  Prairie  Grove,  123,  124. 

Kansas  politicians  scored  by  Hon.  Austin  King,  375-376. 

Kaufman,  Captain  Solomon,  repulses  attack,  using  canister,  251. 

Kelso,  Captain  John  R.,  terror  to  Southern  bandits,  225. 

Kelley,  Major  George  W.,  in  Shelby's  Raid,  325. 

Kent,  Major  D.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  139. 

King,  Hon.  Austin,  M.  C.  for  Missouri,  complains  of  Kansas  troops  in  Mis 
souri,  375-376. 

King,  Major  Austin  A.,  Jr.,  active  in  Shelby's  Raid,  323,  326. 

Lane,  Colonel,  Texas  regiment,  43. 

Lane,  Senator  James  H.,  Lane's  Brigade,  34,  35;  bickering  between  him  and 
General  Hunter,  49;  denounces  General  Schofield,  335;  influence  with 
Mr.  Lincoln,  375. 

Lawrence  Massacre,  excitement  over,  301-302,  312-313. 

Lazear,  Lieutenant-Colonel  B.  F.,  in  Shelby's  Raid,  325. 

Leake,  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  B.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  133,  140,  144,  148. 

Lee,  Captain  Rosew  11,  battery  in  action  at  Elk  Creek,  273,  278. 

Lines,  Captain  E.  D.  D.,  in  action  at  Backbone  Mountain;  death,  294. 

Livingston,  Major  Thomas  R.,  Southern  bandit  leader,  operations,  173-174? 
watches  train  movements,  235;  death,  176,  286. 

Locust  Grove,  action  at  and  capture  of  Confederate  troops  and  train,  65-66. 

Lone  Jack,  battle  of,  concentration  of  Confederates  for,  76-78. 

Lucas,  Captain  N.  B.,  scout,  168;  engaged  Confederates,  231. 

Lyon,  General  Nathaniel,   mentioned,   30. 

Lynde,  Colonel  Edward,  50;  on  Indian  Expedition,  62;  in  action  at  New 
tonia,  91,  93,  94;  at  Prairie  Grove,  144. 

McAfee,  Captain  Charles  B.,  captured  by  Shelby  at  Neosho,  322-324. 

McCulloch,  General  Ben,  assigned  to  command  of  Indian  Territory,  23;  in 
battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  death.,  53. 

McDonald,  Colonel  Emmet,  at  Cane  Hill,  116;  at  Prairie  Grove,  122,  127- 
129,  145;  death  of,  168. 

McDonald  &  Co.,  merchants  and  traders,  453-454. 

McFarland,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Samuel,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  134- 
138;  death,  139. 

Mclntosh,  Colonel  Chilly,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  260. 

Mclntosh,  Colonel  D.  N.,  at  council  of  war,  234;  in  action  at  Elk  Creek, 
273-278. 

Mclntosh,  Colonel  James,  mentioned,  18,  38;  attacked  and  defeated  Hopoe- 
ithleyohola,  42-44;  death,  53. 

McKee,  Major  William,  killed  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  129. 

McKenzie,  Sergeant  W.  L.,  defends  camp  at  Baxter  Springs,  318. 
McKibbin,  Lieutenant  Sharp,  in  action  at  Stone's  Farm,  420. 
McMinn,  Lieutenant  W.  A.,  his  command  killed  Major  Livingston  and  Cap 
tain  Vaughan,  176. 


470  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  CM  Wear 

McNeil,  General  John,  commands  District  of  Southwest  Missouri,  286;  in 

Shelby's  Expedition,  329;  Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  451. 
McNulta,  Colonel  John,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  132,  134-138. 
McRae,  Colonel  D.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Gro've,  145. 
Malony,  Colonel  Maurice,  50. 
Marmaduke,  General  John  S.,  in  action  at  Cane  Hill,   107,   108,   no,   in, 

113,  117;  at  Prairie  Grove,  118-130,  135-145,  151;  in  action  at  Poison 

Spring,   363-364,   368;  on   Mississippi   River,  409;  on   Price's   Missouri 

Expedition,  434;  captured   at  Mine  Creek,   448. 
Marr,  Lieutenant  James,  battery  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  133. 
Martin,  Colonel  L.  M.,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  260;  at  Elk  Creek,  278. 
Massard  Prairie,  action  at;  capture  of  Major  Meiford,  423-426. 
Masterson,  Lieutenant,  battery  in  action  at  Newtonia,  92. 
Maxey,  General  S.  B.,  commands  Department  of  the  Indian  Territory,  340, 

341,  3595  attends  and  addresses  Council  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes, 

342-344;  at  Poison  Spring,  359,  364,  367,  368,  370-373;  at  Fort  Smith, 

390-392,  393-394,  398-400;  mentioned,  435. 
Mefford,  Captain  David,  in  action  at  Newtonia,  92-94;  operations,  174;  at 

Massard  Prairie,  captured,  424-426. 

Mentzer,  Captain  J.  M.,  with  Colonel  Cloud's  Expedition,  297. 
Miller,  Major  W.  H.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  143. 
Missouri  Enrolled  Militia,  59,  176. 

Missouri  Governor  refuses  to  furnish  quota  of  troops,  22. 
Missouri,  invasion  of,  talked  of,  429,  434. 
Missouri  State  Militia,  59,  308. 
Mistletoe,  growing  on   elms,   210. 

Mitchell,  Lieutenant  Barney  B.,  in  action  at  Poison  Spring,  365-366. 
Monroe,  Colonel  J.  C.,  in  action  at  Backbone  Mountain,  294. 
Moonlight,  Colonel  Thomas,  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  144,  148. 
Murphy,    Captain   David,    battery   in    action    at   Newtonia,   97;  at   Prairie 

Grove,   133,   134,   140,   141,   148. 
Neutral  Land,  19. 

Newtonia,  battle  of,  80-99;  Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  434-446. 
O'Neal,  James,  Frank  Leslie's  artist,  killed  in  Baxter  Springs  Massacre,  316. 
Opdyke,  Lieutenant  H.  K.,  in  engagement  at  Newtonia,  91. 
Orahood,  Captain  John  W.,  commands  a  battalion  of  the  Sixth  Kansas  with 

the  Indian  Brigade,  168. 
Order   Number   Eleven,   removing  families   in   certain   counties   in   Western 

Missouri,  conflicting  opinions  about,  305-306. 

Orme,  Colonel  William  W.,  brigade  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  134,  137,  139. 
Osterhaus,  General  P.  J.,  division  in  action  at  Pea  Ridge,  53. 
Palmer,  General  John  M.,  sends  Captain  Terrill  to  capture  Quantrill,  385. 
Palmer,  Lieutenant  J.  C.,  reinforces  train  escort,  441. 
Parsons,  General  Monroe  M.,  at  Yellville,  106;  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove, 

136,  145- 

Parsons,  Lieutenant  Luke  F.,  pursuit  of  Confederates,  259,  333. 
Pea  Ridge,  battle  of,  50-57. 

Pearce,  General  N.  B.,  in  command  of  Arkansas  troops,  24. 
Pegg,   Major  Thomas,   captured,  68. 
Phelps,  Colonel  John  S.,  in  action  at  Pea  Ridge,  56. 
Philbrick,  Lieutenant  R.  C.,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  263-265. 
Philips,  Colonel  John  F.,    operations  from  Elkhorn,  183;  in  Shelby's  Raid, 

325-326. 


The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War.  471 

Phillips,  Colonel  William  A.,  in  action  at  Newtonia,  82,  94,  95,  96;  attacks 
Colonel  Watie's  command,  82;  in  action  at  Fort  Wayne  and  Cane  Hill 
campaign,  108,  114,  115;  at  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  125,  143,  149;  de 
stroys  Fort  Davis,  155,  156,  163;  assigned  to  command  of  Indian  Bri 
gade,  168;  moves  to  near  Maysville,  Elk  Mills,  Pineville,  Bentonville, 
178,  181,  187;  sends  out  patrols,  184;  addresses  mass  meeting  at  Fay- 
etteville,  189;  sends  for  refugee  Indian  families  at  Neosho,  201;  occupies 
Fort  Gibson,  209;  flag-raising  celebration,  21 1 ;  attacks  Colonel  Watie 
at  Webber's  Falls,  222;  reviews  Indian  Brigade,  226;  addresses  troops 
and  people,  212,  227;  commands  troops  in  action,  233;  compared  with 
General  Cooper,  245-248;  directs  Major  Foreman  to  reinforce  train  es 
cort,  257;  in  action  at  Elk  Creek,  273;  operations  in  Indian  Territory, 
332;  on  conditions  in  Indian  country,  377-381;  authority  to  remount 
Indian  troops,  381-382,  386-  433;  relieved  of  command  of  the  Indian 
Brigade,  cause,  430-433;  General  Herron  reports  on  his  efficiency,  434, 
453;  restored  to  command  of  Indian  Brigade,  453;  finds  frightful  con 
ditions  at  Fort  Gibson,  cleans  house;  corrects  abuses,  453-455;  reports 
cattle-stealing,  456-457. 

Phillips,  Lieutenant  Richard  L.,  at  Poison  Spring,  367,  371. 

Pickets  fire  across  the  Arkansas  River,  253. 

Pierce,  Lieutenant  R.  H.,  in  Baxter  Springs  Massacre,  313. 

Pike,  General  Albert,  offers  services  to  Confederacy,  24;  Indian  Commis 
sioner,  making  treaties  with  Indians,  25;  commands  Indian  Division  at 
Pea  Ridge,  51,  191;  causes  complaint  and  resigns,  80-81. 

Pin  Indians,  their  status  defined,  202. 

Pleasanton,  General  Alfred,  in  command  of  Missouri  forces  in  Price's  Raid, 
.450-451. 

Plumb,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Preston  B.,  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  144,  148. 

Poison  Spring,  battle  of,  359-373. 

Pomeroy,  Major  James  M.,  attacks  Confederates,  231. 

Pond,  Lieutent  James  B.,  ordered  to  Baxter  Springs,  310;  in  action  at  Baxter 
Springs  Massacre,  314;  defends  camp,  319;  refuses  to  surrender,  320. 

Porter,  Admiral,  Gunboat  Fleet  over  Alexandria  Falls,  394. 

Prairie  Grove,  battle  of,   118-134. 

Pratt,   Joseph  R.,  r  f  g  -e  from  ']  eyas,  199-200. 

Price,  General  Sterling,  mentioned,  36,  37,  46,  47,  58;  defeated  at  Pea  Ridge, 
51-52;  defeated  at  Helena,  286;  at  Jenkins'  Ferry,  393;  commissions 
leaders  of  Southern  Partisan  bands,  413-423;  Quantrill  and  their  bloody 
work,  413-423;  Missouri  Expedition  taking  form,  434;  starts  from 
Princeton,  435;  objective,  St.  Louis,  435,  447;  ends  in  disaster,  446, 
447-450,  461. 

Quajl,  Coionel  William,  in  attack  on  Hopoeithleyohola,  38. 

Quantrill,  Colonel  William  C.,  Lawrence  Massacre,,  301-302;  Baxter  Springs 
Massacre,  312-321,  328;  he  and  his  men  a  terror  to  people  of  Northern 
Texas,  375,  mortally  wounded  and  captured,  382-386. 

Rabb,  Captain  J.  W.,  Second  Indiana  Pattery,  50;  with  Indian  Expedition, 
64;  at  Newtonia,  85;  in  action  at  Fort  Wayne,  103;  at  Cane  Hill,  m- 
114;  at  Prairie  Grove,  143,  144,  147;  section  at  Waldron,  329;  at  Poison 
Spring,  362. 

R-in>.  General  James  S.,  operat'ons,  64,  102,  103.  105. 

Reconnoissances:  to  Newtonia,  89,  90;  to  Van  Buren,  107;  Parkhill,  205- 
206;  Webber's  Falls,  207-208;  Fort  Gibson,  209;  Creek  Agency,  230. 

Rector,  Governor  of  Aransas,  sends  emissary  to  Chief  John  Ross,   26. 

Red  River  Expedition,  failure  of,  346-352. 


472  Th*  Union    Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Re'ug  t  Indian  families,  169-171,  256;  fed  from  commissary  supplies,  l$6. 
Re>nolds,  General  J.  J.,  assigned  to  command  the  Department  of  Arkansas, 

Richardson,  Colonel  John  M.,  routed  at  Neosho,  64;  in  action  at  Prairie 
erates  across  the  Arkansas  River,  405-406,  408. 

Richie,  Sergeant  George  H.,  killed  in  action  at  Cane  Hill,  116. 
Grove,  122,  124,  136. 

Ritchie,  Colonel  John,  in  action  at  Shirley's  Ford,  89;  opens  fire  on  Confed- 

Ritter,  Co.onel  John  F.,  captures  the  steamer  Homer,  361. 

Roane.  General,  145. 

Robinson,  Governor  Charles,  feud  with  Senator  Lane,  44. 

Rogers,  Captain  John,  on  recounois^ance,  168;  scout  to  Boston  Mountains, 
197- 

Rosecrans,  General  W.  S.,  complaint  to  from  Hon.  Austin  King,  375-376; 
Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  450-451. 

Ross,  Chief  John,  receives  emissary  from  Governor  Rector,  26;  opposed  to 
secession,  74;  brought  out  with  the  Indian  Expedition,  74. 

Ross,  Colonel  William  P.,  secretary  to  mass  meeting,  28;  captured  by  Cap- 
Root,  Lieutenant  Richard,  in  act  on  at  Prairie  (Jrove 
tain  Greeno,  68;  address  at  Flag  celebration,  212. 

Ryan,  Colonel  A.  H.,  operations  against  Southern  Partisans,  422. 

Salomon,  General  Frederick,  50;  in  command  of  Indian  Expedition,  62,  67; 
commands  First  Brigade,  84;  in  action  at  Newtonia,  92,  94-98;  Cane 
Hill  and  Prairie  Grove  campaigns,  102,  125,  143,  149,  156. 

Sanborn,  General  John  B.,  scout  on  trail  of  Southern  Indians,  395;  in  Price's 
Missouri  Expedition,  339,  451. 

Sauls,  Sergeant  Thomas,  in  action  at  Massard  Prairie,  426. 

Scanland,  Colonel  John,  commands  reserve,  273;  in  action  at  Elk  Creek,  278. 

Schaurte,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Frederick  W.,  etfect  of  movement,  223;  men 
tioned,  234;  relieves  Colonel  Wattles,  251;  in  action  at  Elk  Creek,  273, 
280. 

Schofield,  General  John  M.,  commands  the  Department  of  Missouri,  58; 
Newtonia  campaign,  87,  89,  90,  98,  99;  commands  the  Army  of  the 
Frontier,  101,  105,  106;  meets  army  returning  from  Van  Buren,  165; 
resumes  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier,  166;  reviews  First  Di 
vision  at  Elm  Springs,  167;  distribution  of  the  army,  167-168;  Colonel 
W.  A.  Phillips  to  command  the  Indian  Brigade,  168;  denounced  by 
Kansans  on  account  of  the  Lawrence  Massacre,  302;  feud  between  him 
and  General  Blunt,  334-335;  Blunt  removed  from  command  of  District 
of  the  Frontier,  335. 

Seward,  William,  Secretary  of  State,  460. 

Shanks,  Colonel  David,  in  action  on  Shelby's  Expedition,  323. 

Shelby,  General  Joseph  0.,  Lone  Jack  campaign,  76;  at  Cane  Hill,  105;  at 
Prairie  Grove,  121,  122,  127,  129^  137,  145;  expedition  through  Missouri, 
322-327;  in  Northeast  Arkansas,  429;  in  Price's  Missouri  Expedition, 

Sherman,  General  W.  T.,  on  the  Red  River  Expedition,  344. 

Shoup,  General  F.  A.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  137,  138,  145. 

Sigel,  General  Franz,  in  action  at  Pea  Ridge,  52. 

Simeral,  Lieutenant  J.  M.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  143. 

Smith,  Captain  Edward  A.,  battery  in  action  at  Elk  Creek,  268,  278. 

Smith,  General  A.  J.,  reinforces  General  Rosecrans,  435;  in  Price's  Missouri 

Smith,  General  E.  Kirby,  commands  Trans-Mississippi  Department;  reor 
ganizes  forces,  341,  351;  approves  Price's  Missouri  Expedition,  434. 
Expedition,  447-448- 


Th*  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Smith,  Major  J.  Nelson,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  261. 

Southern  Partisan  bands,  atrocious  acts  of;  were  caught,  tried,  and  shot, 
413-417;  murdered  and  mutilated  Surgeon  Fairchild,  4*0-421. 

Spillman,  Captain  A.  C,  operations  about  Neosho,  175;  in  action  at  Barren 
Fork,  332-333- 

Springfield  attacked  by  General  Marmaduke,  was  repulsed,  168. 

Starr,  Major  Henry  A.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  137,  138. 

Steele,  Confederate  General  William,  commands  Confederate  forces  in  In 
dian  Territory,  183,  186;  showing  activity,  218,  285,  288,  289;  reor 
ganizes  forces,  328,  329;  relieved  of  command  at  own  request,  340. 

Steele,  General  Frederick,  operations  about  Little  Rock,  285,  286;  occupa 
tion  of  Little  Rock,  299,  301;  Camden  Expedition,  345-347,  352-357, 
359,  360-361. 

Stevens,  Captain  E.  R.,  in  action  at  Elk  Creek,  268,  273,  280. 

Stevens,  Colonel  J.  C.,  in  action  at  Newtonia,  96. 

Stewart,  Captain  John  E.,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  262,  264,  265. 

Stewart,  Lieutenant  L.  F.,  at  Fort  Smith,  427. 

Stirman,  Colonel  Ras,  attacked  by  Unionists,  297. 

Stockton's  Battery,  92. 

Stover,  Lieutenant  F.  S.,  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  145. 

Stuart,  Lieutenant-Colonel  James,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  143;  opera 
tions  from  Fayetteville,  185. 

Sturgis,  Captain  S.  D.,  evacuates  Fort  Smith,  21,  32. 

Sutherland,  Lieutenant  Thomas  B.,  in  action  at  Flat  Rock,  439. 

Supply  trains,  fight  for  safety,  228;  arrival  of,  234;  attack  on  near  Fort 
Gibson;  enemy  routed,  238-240;  another  attempt  to  capture  at  Cabin 
Creek;  enemy  routed,  257-265;  General  Gano  attacks  escort  to  train 
at  Cabin  Creek,  and  captures  train,  440-446. 

Tappan,  Lieutenant  J.  E.,  in  action  at  Baxter  Springs,  315. 

Taylor,  Colonel  T.  E.,  killed  in  action  near  Fort  Gibson    82. 

Tenney,  Captain  Marcus  D.,  battery  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  143,  144, 
145,  147,  148. 

Terrill,  Captain  Edwin,  wounds  and  captures  Quantrill,  385. 

Thatcher,  Captain  Linn  K.,  in  action  at  Newtonia,  93. 

Thayer,  General  John  M.,  commands  Frontier  Division,  Seventh  Army 
Corps,  346-348,  351,  354-355;  357-358;  directs  Colonel  Williams  to 
take  command  of  forage  train  362;  returns  to  Fort  Smith,  374;  at  Fort 
Smith,  390-391,  399,  408;  recommends  evacuation  of  posts,  460;  pre 
pares  to  evacuate  post;  order  is  countermanded  by  General  Grant,  461. 

Thomas,  General  G.  H.,  mentioned,  453. 

Thompson,  Colonel  L.  L.,  in  front  of  Fort  Smith,  291-292. 

Thurbur,  Captain  Charles,  battery  in  action  with  Shelby  Expedition,  325. 

Todd,  Captain  George,  flag  of  truce  at  Baxter  Springs,  320. 

Totten,  General  James  H.,  retires  from  Little  Rock  Arsenal,  31;  in  action 
at  Newtonia,  85,  98;  commands  Missouri  forces,  85-88,  90,  98,  100,  101. 

Tough,  Captain  W.  S.,  chief  of  scouts,  reconnoissance,  314,  317,  320;  reports 
movements  of  the  enemy,  402,  424. 

Tracy,  Colonel,  in  action  at  Lone  Jack,  76, 

Utt,  Lieutenant  Josephus,  in  action  at  Poison  Spring,  367. 

Van  Buren  captured  by  Blunt  and  Herron,  who  destroy  steamboats  and 
supplies,  153-165. 

Van  Dorn,  General  Earl,  assumes  command  of  Trans-Mississippi  District, 
47;  orders  concentration  of  forces  at  Fayetteville  and  Cross  Hollow,  48; 
defeated  at  Pea  Ridge  and  returns  to  Van  Buren,  55. 


474  The  Union  Indian  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War. 

Vann,  Assistant  Chief,  28. 

Wakefield,  James  A.,  at  whose  place  Quantrill  was  wounded  and  captured,  385. 

Walke,  Admiral,  Gunboat  Flotilla,  71;  battle  of  Memphis,  71. 

Walker,  Colonel  Tandy,  covers  retreat  of  Colonel  Watie,  250;  in  action  at 
Elk  Creek,  273;  in  battle  of  Poison  Spring,  359,  369. 

Walker,  Lieutenant  Anson  J.,  in  action  at  Poison  Spring,  363,  367. 

Ward,  Major  Richard  C.,  in  action  at  Poison  Spring,  362,  364,  367-368." 

Ward,  Sergeant  William  H.,  in  action  at  Stone's  Farm,  421. 

Waterhouse,  Lieutenant  A.  J.,  reinforcement  for  train  escort,  440. 

Waters,  Lieutenant  E.,  murdered  by  Shelby's  men  at  Neosho,  324. 

Watie,  Colonel  S.,  operations,  65,  163,  204,  209;  chosen  chairman  by  Chero- 
kees,  219;  makes  address,  220;  his  men  routed,  222;  attacks  supply 
train,  236,  240;  crosses  to  north  side  of  Arkansas  River,  incident,  249- 
250;  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  259,  262,  265;  at  Elk  Creek,  273,  278, 
281;  operations  in  Indian  Territory,  331-334;  addresses  conference  of 
Southern  Indian  chiefs  and  leaders,  338-339;  captures  steam  ferry-boat 
J.  R.  Williams,  401-407;  in  expedition  to  capture  train,  435-446. 

Wattles,  Colonel  Stephen  H.,  in  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  144;  action  at 
Greenleaf  Prairie,  250-251;  at  Elk  Creek,  273,  279,  281;  in  command 
of  Indian  Brigade,  433;  sends  reinforcements  for  train  escort,  441. 

Wear,  Captain  W.  D.,  in  action  with  Shelby's  Expedition,  325. 

Webber,  Captain  William,  in  action  at  Newtonia;  death,  96. 

Weer,  Colonel  William,  at  Fort  Scott,  50;  in  command  at  Indian  Expedition, 
62;  in  Newtonia  campaign,  84,  86,  95;  at  Prairie  Grove,  125,  144;  Shelby 
Expedition,  326. 

Welch,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  in  action  at  Flat  Rock,  438. 

Wells,  Colonel,  battalion  attacked  and  dispersed  by  Colonel  Clark,  410. 

Whitlow,  Lieutenant  Ben  H.,  reinforces  train  escort,  441. 

Wickersham,  Colonel  Dudley,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  120,  123,  125,  126, 
142,  143,  149. 

Wilson,  Lieutenant  A.,  in  action  at  Cabin  Creek,  262. 

Wilson,  Major  Cyrus  J.,  last  days  of  Quantrill,  385-386. 

Willets,  Captain,  333. 

Williams,  Colonel  James  M.,  operations  about  Baxter  Springs,  175-176,  180, 
197;  reinforces  train,  258;  engages  enemy  at  Cabin  Creek,  261-265; 
at  Elk  Creek,  273;  addresses  his  soldiers  on  going  into  action,  276; 
wounded  and  ready  to  die,  279,  283;  commands  Federal  forces  at  Poison 
Spring,  362,  364,  366,  368-371;  attacks  General  Gano,  445. 

Williams,  J.  R.,  steam  ferry-boat,  capture  of,  401-408. 

Williams,  Major  H.  H.,  144. 

Winter  of  1863-4,  cold;  Arkansas  River  frozen  over  at  Fort  Smith,  artillery 
^  and  trains  crossed  on  ice,  330-331. 

Wright,  Major  Moses  B.  C.,  in  action  near  Fort  Gibson,  231. 

Young,  Colonel  M.  L.,  in  action  at  Prairie  Grove,  129. 


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